Lattice-Confined Sn (IV/II) Stabilizing Raft-Like Pt Clusters: High Selectivity and Durability in Propane Dehydrogenation

Catalytic dehydrogenation of propane (DHP) to propene is highly endothermic, requiring a high reaction temperature. Under harsh conditions, it has been a great challenge to maintain excellent propene selectivity and suppress the irreversible deactivation caused by sintering of metallic active centers. This work reports a highly selective and durable Pt–Sn catalyst for DHP, in which metallic Pt centers are dispersed homogeneously in small raft-like clusters on Mg(Sn)(Al)O and form strong interactions with the SnIV/II sites confined in Mg(Al)O lattices. A propene selectivity of >99% at 550 °C with a conversion close to the equilibrium (specific rate of 0.96 s–1 for propene formation) and a propene selectivity of >98% (specific rate of 1.46 s–1) even under 600 °C have been produced by highly dispersed Pt sites in Pt/Mg(Sn)(Al)O. The Pt–Sn interactions and SnIV/II confinement were revealed to afford the catalyst with good durability. No visible sintering of Pt clusters was observed in the long-term DHP reaction.