Regulating Ni–O–V Bond in Nickel Doped Vanadium Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation

Supported vanadium catalysts are commonly investigated in industrial propane dehydrogenation (PDH) but still remain a great challenge to achieve high propylene selectivity and productivity. Here, Ni species were adopted to regulate the micro-structure of V2O5 supported by gamma-Al2O3 via incipient wetness impregnation method. The Ni-doped vanadium catalyst exhibits an optimal propylene yield of 31.88% with a superior propylene selectivity of 85.91% compared to undoped catalyst with a propylene yield of 20.49% (propylene selectivity of 80.77%). Experimental characterizations (such as XPS, XAFS and Raman studies) and DFT calculations were combined to support that the Ni-O-V bonds are active sites for PDH and could promote the charge redistribution from Ni to V based in the Ni-O-V bonds, which greatly strengthens the adsorption of C3H8 over V sites. This endows the Ni-doped vanadium catalyst high propane conversion and superior propylene selectivity.