Propane dehydrogenation over zinc-on-zirconia catalyst via atom trapping

Propylene is an important resource for large petrochemicals production. Propane dehydrogenation (PDH), which directly produces propylene while producing hydrogen as a by-product, has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Among various PDH catalysts, Zn-based catalyst has great potentials in industrial implementation because of its low cost and eco-friendly. Herein, we synthesized Zn–O–Zr active center via atom trapping strategy for effectively catalyzing PDH reaction. The ability of phase transition upon Zn deposition is supposed to be a possible indicator to assess active degree of ZrO2, which is directly related to the proportion of surface absorbed oxygen species (SAOS) on ZrO2. We demonstrate that SAOS concentration can be promoted through stabilizing tetragonal-phase and doping Hf, results in more Zn–O–Zr species, lower active energy, and easier phase transition. This study reveals the electronic effect on atom trapping process used in Zn–ZrO2 system and provides guidance to design and prepare high-performance Zn-based PDH catalysts.