Ultrafine PtGa Clusters Confined in Porous ZrOx/SiO2 Nanofibers for Enhanced Propane Dehydrogenation

Ultrafine Pt clusters exhibit superior activity for propane dehydrogenation compared to larger Pt nanoparticles; however, they are prone to sintering at high operating temperatures, leading to a decline in both activity and selectivity. In this work, porous ZrO_x/SiO₂ nanofibers featuring highly dispersed ZrO_x nanodomains within a SiO₂ matrix were successfully fabricated via a high-throughput blow-spinning process. The abundant and thermal-stable 1.6 nm micropores significantly stabilize 1.5 nm PtGa clusters against sintering at temperatures over 800 °C, due to the pore confinement. Moreover, the electron transfer from Ga to Pt is significantly enhanced in close proximity to ZrO_x, contributing to metallic Pt with exceptional activity toward C-H bond activation. Thereby, the sinter-resistant PtGa/ZrO_x/SiO₂ nanofibers maintained 98.8% propylene selectivity and 43.2% propane conversion rate over 100 h of reaction, with a deactivation rate constant down to 0.0045 h^-1. This work explores a sinter-resistant catalytic system based on oxide nanofibers and elaborates a new logic for the design of high-performance propane dehydrogenation catalysts with long-term stability.