Effect of group IB metals on the dehydrogenation of propane to propylene over anti-sintering Pt/MgAl₂O₄

Anti-sintering platinum-based catalyst for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is promising to avoid corrosive oxychlorination re-dispersion of sintered Pt during coke combustion. Herein, we report an anti-sintering Pt/MgAl₂O₄ catalyst and optimizations on its activity for PDH with group IB metals (Cu, Ag and Au). Using a suite of characterizations including BET, H₂ chemisorption, XRD, STEM, CO-DRIFTs, XANES, XPS, TG/DTA, TPO, C₃H₆-TPD and TPSR of C₃H₆ with H₂, we reveal that Cu and Ag dilute the surface Pt atoms and donate electron to Pt while the case for Pt-Au is inverse. As a result, significant enhancements in propane conversion and propylene selectivity were obtained on the Pt-Cu/MgAl₂O₄ and Pt-Ag/MgAl₂O₄ catalysts. The Pt-Cu/MgAl₂O₄ exhibited excellent C₃H₆ yield and regeneration stability, presumably due to the formation of intermetallic compounds and little phase segregation during cyclic dehydrogenation-regeneration runs.