Effects of second metals (M = Fe, Cu, Ga, In, Sn) on the geometric and electronic properties of platinum for the direct dehydrogenation of propane

Supported Pt-based bimetallic catalysts are representative types of dehydrogenation catalysts used for alkanes to olefins conversion. The platinum in these catalysts exhibits unique structural features accompanied with changes in electronic states due to the addition of the second metal. To investigate the impact of each effect on the activity for propane dehydrogenation, a series of Pt-M/SiO2 (M= Fe, Cu, Ga, In and Sn) catalysts were prepared and used for propane dehydrogenation. Utilizing various characterization techniques, the geometric and electronic properties of these catalysts were studied. The relationships between the specific activity of bimetallic platinum catalysts in propane dehydrogenation and atomic sizes of alloys (i) and the total density of unoccupied d bands in platinum (ii) were considered. Via alloy formation, it was found that dilution of the active metal Pt occurred in these SiO2 supported bimetallic catalysts, and the lattice parameter of Pt-M alloys decreased on Pt-Fe, Pt-Cu and Pt-Ga alloys, but increased on Pt-In and Pt-Sn alloys when compared with that of Pt foil. Catalytic activity was evidently shown to not be a function of the lattice parameters of Pt-M alloys, but appears closely related with the d-holes of Pt in Pt-M bimetallic catalysts. More d holes show favorably high activity. Among the studied Pt-M/SiO2 (M= Fe, Cu, Ga, In and Sn) catalysts, the prominent and primary role of the electronic effect was demonstrated.