Room-temperature activation of the C-H bond in the dehydrogenation of ethane over a Cu/TiO 2 catalyst.

A novel photocatalytic system of Cu/TiO 2 for activation the C-H bond in the dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene at room temperature is proposed. The optimized 1%-Cu/TiO 2 catalyst achieved C 2 H 6 conversion of 1.70%, C 2 H 4 selectivity of 98.41%, and exhibited excellent stability. The active site Cu δ + showed high dispersion on the TiO 2 surface. Theoretical calculations and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy revealed a reaction mechanism: C 2 H 6 is first activated by adsorption over the Cu 4C /TiO 2 catalyst with elongation of the C-H bond, attacked by h + /˙OH to form ethyl radicals, which are then converted to C 2 H 4 .