Stable and homogeneous intermetallic alloys by atomic gas-migration for propane dehydrogenation

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 8157 - 9
• Main Authors: Wei, Pingping, Chen, Sai, Luo, Ran, Sun, Guodong, Wu, Kexin, Fu, Donglong, Zhao, Zhi-Jian, Pei, Chunlei, Yan, Ning, Gong, Jinlong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.09.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 119/118; 140/146; 147/143; 639/166/898; 639/638/77/884; 639/638/77/887; Alloys; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical synthesis; Dehydrogenation; Density functional theory; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intermetallic compounds; Kinetic energy; Molecular dynamics; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Platinum; Propane; Propylene; Robustness; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stability; Thermodynamic equilibrium; Zinc
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52518-9

Intermetallic nanoparticles (NPs) possess significant potentials for catalytic applications, yet their production presents challenges as achieving the disorder-to-order transition during the atom ordering process involves overcoming a kinetic energy barrier. Here, we demonstrate a robust approach utilizing atomic gas-migration for the in-situ synthesis of stable and homogeneous intermetallic alloys for propane dehydrogenation (PDH). This approach relies on the physical mixture of two separately supported metal species in one reactor. The synthesized platinum-zinc intermetallic catalysts demonstrate exceptional stability for 1300 h in continuous propane dehydrogenation under industrially relevant industrial conditions, with extending 95% propylene selectivity and propane conversions approaching thermodynamic equilibrium values at 550–600  o C. In situ characterizations and density functional theory/molecular dynamics simulation reveal Zn atoms adsorb on the particle surface and then diffuse inward, aiding in the formation of ultrasmall and highly ordered intermetallic alloys. This in-situ gas-migration strategy is applicable to a wide range of intermetallic systems. Intermetallic alloys (IMAs) hold significant potential for catalysis. Here, the authors present a robust gas-migration method for synthesizing stable and uniform IMAs, which exhibit exceptional stability over 1300 h in propane dehydrogenation.