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Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Design of MoS2 edge-anchored single-atom catalysts for propane dehydrogenation driven by DFT and microkinetic
Chunguang Dong1, Zhuangzhuang Lai1, Haifeng Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering and Industrial Catalysis, Centre for Computational Chemistry and Research Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. hfwang@ecust.edu.cn.
Abstract:
The design of efficient catalysts for direct propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to inhibit coke formation and deactivation of traditional Pt-based catalysts are challenging tasks. Herein, by exploiting the unique geometric feature and tunability of single atom catalysts (SACs), a wide range of 3d-5d transition metals anchored on the MoS2 edge in the single atom form (TM1-S4/edge) are comprehensively investigated for the PDH application by first-principles calculations, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and microkinetic modeling. Five criteria are assessed in terms of the feasibility of preparation, practical stability, feasibility of recovery after air oxidation, activity and selectivity. We identified Ru1-S4/edge SAC as the most promising candidate with activity six times higher than that of the conventional Pt(111) catalyst. Interestingly, AIMD simulations show that the motif region of the highly reactive TM1-S4/edge SACs (such as Ru, Os, Rh, and Ir) exhibits a dynamic change, with a TM-coordinated S atom tending to flutter at reaction temperatures and return to its initial position when the species is adsorbed on TMs, thereby affecting the PDH activities. In addition to identifying the potential PDH catalyst from a practical application point of view, we believe that this study also provides a comprehensive picture for the theoretical screening of low-coordination single-atom catalysts.
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