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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Self-Stabilized Heterometallic Pair Sites for Selective Ethanol Dehydrogenation on Pt-Cr-Ag Alloy Catalysts
Jason F Weaver1, Shuting Xiang2, Jovenal Jamir1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
Abstract:
Self-stabilized, heterometallic pair-sites can enable fine-tuning of catalytic functionality while also mitigating dynamic structural changes that degrade catalytic performance. This study demonstrates the development and characterization of trimetallic PtxCrxAg1-2x (x ≤ 0.1) alloys with active Pt-Cr pair-ensembles for non-oxidative ethanol dehydrogenation, leveraging predictions that favorable bonding stabilizes Pt-Cr pairs diluted in Ag. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirms the preferential formation and stability of Pt-Cr pairings dispersed throughout the Ag matrix, and ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that Pt-Cr sites have significant activity for ethanol dehydrogenation, while suppressing reaction processes that deactivate binary Pt-Ag and Cr-Ag alloys. This work demonstrates that stabilizing heterometallic pair sites within trimetallic alloys provides a new avenue for designing catalysts with discrete active sites that are durable and highly selective.
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