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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Full utilization of noble metals by atom abstraction for propane dehydrogenation
Guodong Sun1,2, Ran Luo1,2, Donglong Fu1,3,4,5,6
1School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Chemical Science & Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin, China.
None:
Maximizing atomic utilization of noble metals is crucial for efficient industrial catalysis. We demonstrate that minimal platinum (Pt) loading for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) can be achieved through atom abstraction. At low loadings of Pt with copper (Cu), reduction over silica or other oxide supports formed nanoparticles (NPs) with Pt mainly dispersed in the bulk. Addition of tin (Sn) to the alloy led to formation of surface Pt1Sn1 dimers. The larger atomic radius of Sn compared with Cu drove it to the surface, and its stronger interactions with Pt abstracted Pt from the bulk. Single metallic Pt atoms were stabilized on fully open surfaces, resulting in nearly 100% surface exposure. This configuration reduced Pt usage by one order of magnitude for propane dehydrogenation and improved catalytic stability.
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