Ti-Doping in Silica-Supported PtZn Propane Dehydrogenation Catalysts: From Improved Stability to the Nature of the Pt–Ti Interaction

Propane dehydrogenation is an important industrial reaction to access propene, the world’s second most used polymer precursor. Catalysts for this transformation are required be long living at high temperature and robust toward harsh oxidative regeneration conditions. In work, combining surface organometallic chemistry thermolytic molecular precursor approach, we prepared well-defined silica-supported Pt alloyed PtZn materials investigate effect of Ti-doping on catalytic performances. Chemisorption experiments density functional calculations reveal a significant change in electronic structure nanoparticles (NPs) due Ti-doping. Evaluation resulting PtZn/SiO2 PtZnTi/SiO2 during deactivation phases stabilizing Ti with kd 0.015 h–1 compared 0.022 over 108 h stream. Such also present phase after applying protocol under O2 H2 temperatures. A combined scanning transmission electron microscopy, situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, paramagnetic resonance, theory study reveals that related sintering prevention NPs strong interaction sites. However, contrast classical metal–support interaction, show coverage TiOx species not needed explain changes adsorption reactivity properties. Indeed, TiIII sites enough decrease CO induce red-shift band because transfer from Pt0.