Sintering-Resistant Pt on Ga2O3 Rods for Propane Dehydrogenation: The Morphology Matters

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) has been recognized as one of the most promising routes to produce propene in chemical industry. Recently, Pt–Ga2O3 catalysts have attracted great attention because of their high activity, high selectivity, and simple regeneration process. However, the lack of strategies to suppress Pt sintering has seriously impeded their practical applications. In this work, we have studied Pt sintering on Ga2O3 with different morphologies. Results showed that Pt sintering under high temperature treatment might be attributed to an oxidative process, in which metallic Pt was oxidized into volatile PtO2 that led to the formation of larger Pt particles. Compared to other shaped Ga2O3, rod-shaped Ga2O3 can trap Pt atoms and prevent the metallic Pt from being oxidized into PtO2, yielding a sintering-resistant Pt–Ga2O3 catalyst for PDH. This result can not only provide a highly stable catalyst for PDH, but also it can shed some light on fundamental research in catalysis.