Effect of In addition on the performance of a Pt-In/SBA-15 catalyst for propane dehydrogenation

Propane dehydrogenation is a promising way to produce propylene. Catalysts with high propane conversion, selectivity to propylene, and stability are vital to this technology. In this work, we determined that the catalytic performance of Pt/SBA-15 can be significantly enhanced by introducing an appropriate amount of indium. A too low ratio of In/Pt (1/8) or too high of a ratio (2/1) is detrimental to the activity of the catalyst. When the nominal ratio of Pt to In is 1/1, the initial propane conversion and selectivity towards propylene over 1Pt1In/SBA-15 are highest among all catalysts tested at 57.06 % and 99.04 %, respectively. The conversion rate decreased to 39.63 % after 28 h of reaction, but selectivity was retained at greater than 99 %. Very little coke was deposited on the used 1Pt1In/SBA-15 catalyst. With catalyst characterization, it was proposed that Pt1In1 alloy nanoparticles with surface-enriched In2O3 were responsible for the selective dehydrogenation of propane.