Redox-Acidity Interplay in Eu-Promoted PtSn2 Catalysts for Selective and Stable Propane Dehydrogenation

[EN] Heterogeneous catalysts based on Pt alloys are widely employed in propane dehydrogenation (PDH), yet challenges such as coking and poor nanoparticle stability hinder their broader industrial deployment. Strategies to enhance dispersion and tune the catalyst surface properties remain at the fore...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Valls, Maria I., Ara, Jesús, Catalán-Martínez, David, Grand, Julien, Mayer, J, Somacescu, Simona, Curulla-Ferré, Daniel, Escolástico Rozalén, Sonia|||0000-0002-7097-2425, Remiro-Buenamañana, Sonia|||0000-0002-5393-5729, Serra Alfaro, José Manuel|||0000-0002-1515-1106
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/230273
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/230273
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Acidity
Catalyst
Europium
Platinum
Propane dehydrogenation
Redox catalyst
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Heterogeneous catalysts based on Pt alloys are widely employed in propane dehydrogenation (PDH), yet challenges such as coking and poor nanoparticle stability hinder their broader industrial deployment. Strategies to enhance dispersion and tune the catalyst surface properties remain at the forefront of catalyst design. Here, we demonstrate a new class of PtSn2-based catalysts promoted by rare-earth elements for efficient and stable PDH. Among the rare-earth screened, europium (Eu) delivers the most pronounced promotional effect, enabling the formation of similar to 1.3 nm PtSn2 nanoparticles with improved thermal stability. Through its redox flexibility (Eu3+/Eu2+), Eu modulates the electronic environment of Pt, tunes surface acidity, and suppresses coke accumulation by directing carbon species away from active sites and onto the support. This work shows that rare-earth elements can serve as multifunctional promoters in alloy catalysts, influencing both structural dispersion and catalytic surface chemistry. The optimized catalyst (0.5% Pt-3% Sn-2% Eu on gamma-Al2O3) achieves a 40.6% propylene yield at 575 degrees C and a low deactivation rate (0.047 h-1), under conditions relevant to industrial practice. Our findings offer a new strategy for designing high-performance diluted alloy catalysts through rare-earth promotion, applicable to other dehydrogenation and hydrocarbon upgrading reactions where coke suppression and acid-base balance are critical.