Promotional effect and mechanism of SiO₂ on Cr-Al₂O₃ catalysts for N₂O-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene

A series of Cr-SiO2-Al2O3 (abbreviated as Cr-Si-Al) catalysts were synthesized using an evaporation induced self-assembled (EISA) method and applied to the N2O-assisted dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EB), offering a versatile solution for greenhouse gas recycling and a novel pathway for styrene (ST) production. Notably, the Cr-5Si-Al catalyst calcinated at 850 degrees C exhibited remarkable performance with a high EB conversion of 71% and a good ST selectivity of 62%, resulting in an optimal ST yield of nearly 44%. To elucidate the impact of calcination temperature and reveal the underlying promoting mechanism, numerous types of characterization particularly in-situ DRIFTS were used. Results indicated that the Cr-5Si-Al-850 catalyst possessed a distinctively ordered mesoporous structure, which improved the specific surface area and facilitated the dispersion of active species. The interaction among the multiple species in the catalyst was enhanced under the high calcination temperatures, leading to an increased ratio of Cr6+ and O-alpha, and thus promoting the dehydrogenation of EB. Furthermore, in situ DRIFTS revealed two favorable reaction pathways: one involving the reaction between adsorbed N2O and EB, and the other involving the reaction between adsorbed EB and N2O. These pathways led to the formation of a similar intermediate, observed at a wavenumber of 1285 cm(-1). The improved adsorption of EB played a pivotal role in the excellent catalytic performance of the Cr-5Si-Al-850 catalyst.