Hydroxy‐ or chlorine‐anchored Pt single‐atom in Al2O3: Which is better for propane dehydrogenation?

Abstract Platinum‐based single‐atom catalysts (Pt 1 SACs) can significantly improve the catalytic activity for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) because of their elevated atomic utilization. However, maintaining the high‐temperature stability of the Pt 1 species is of utmost importance. To answer the key question: Hydroxy‐ or chlorine‐anchored Pt 1 single atoms in Al 2 O 3 : Which is the better choice for PDH? We have designed two types of single‐atom Pt catalysts on Al 2 O 3 via a surface group trapping strategy: Pt 1 –Al 2 O 3 with isolated Pt–O species and Pt 1 Cl 1 –Al 2 O 3 with isolated Pt–Cl species. When tested in PDH, Pt 1 Cl 1 –Al 2 O 3 showed an exceptional activity of 145 mol propene mol Pt −1 min −1 at 600°C, which was 3.8 times higher than that of Pt 1 –Al 2 O 3 . It has been demonstrated that the isolated Pt–Cl species in Pt 1 Cl 1 –Al 2 O 3 act as an active site and undergoes a dehydrogenation pathway with a lower energy barrier, while Pt 1 in Pt 1 –Al 2 O 3 undergoes a dissociation‐desorption pathway, resulting in few propene productions.