Investigation of Pt-based Model Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation Reaction.

Large scale exploitation of shale gas has stimulated the developments of on-purpose propane dehydrogenation (PDH) technologies. Pt-based PDH catalysts have been utilized in industry, e.g. Pt-Sn/Al2O3 and Pt-Ga/ Al2O3, where the actual role of metal dopants is not fully understood. In this regard, the development of model systems possessing tailored surface sites is necessary in order to look into the structure-activity relationships. In that context, the surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) approach has emerged as a powerful tool to yield PDH model catalysts, revealing that the formation of alloyed particles and residual unreduced metal sites are important for high productivity and stability.