Electroassisted Propane Dehydrogenation at Low Temperatures: Far beyond the Equilibrium Limitation.

Propylene production by propane dehydrogenation (PDH) generally requires high temperatures due to thermodynamic equilibrium limitations. This study developed a novel type of catalytic system for low-temperature PDH by combining a surface protonics methodology with intermetallic active sites. By application of an electric current, the intermetallic Pt-In/TiO2 catalyst gave a propylene yield of 10.2% with high selectivity, even at 250 °C, where the thermodynamic equilibrium yield was only 0.15%. Electroassisted proton collisions with propane allowed an unusual reaction pathway for low-temperature PDH. Alloying of Pt with In drastically enhanced the activity and selectivity due to the increased electron density of Pt.