Tandem In2O3-Pt/Al2O3 catalyst for coupling of propane dehydrogenation to selective H2 combustion.

Tandem catalysis couples multiple reactions and promises to improve chemical processing, but precise spatiotemporal control over reactive intermediates remains elusive. We used atomic layer deposition to grow In2O3 over Pt/Al2O3, and this nanostructure kinetically couples the domains through surface hydrogen atom transfer, resulting in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propylene by platinum, then selective hydrogen combustion by In2O3, without excessive hydrocarbon combustion. Other nanostructures, including platinum on In2O3 or platinum mixed with In2O3, favor propane combustion because they cannot organize the reactions sequentially. The net effect is rapid and stable oxidative dehydrogenation of propane at high per-pass yields exceeding the PDH equilibrium. Tandem catalysis using this nanoscale overcoating geometry is validated as an opportunity for highly selective catalytic performance in a grand challenge reaction.