Effect of In addition on the performance of a Pt-In/SBA-15 catalyst for propane dehydrogenation

Propane dehydrogenation is a promising way to produce propylene . Catalysts with high propane conversion, selectivity to propylene , and stability are vital to this technology. In this work, we determined that the catalytic performance of Pt/SBA-15 can be significantly enhanced by introducing an appropriate amount of indium . A too low ratio of In/Pt (1/8) or too high of a ratio (2/1) is detrimental to the activity of the catalyst. When the nominal ratio of Pt to In is 1/1, the initial propane conversion and selectivity towards propylene over 1Pt1In/SBA-15 are highest among all catalysts tested at 57.06 % and 99.04 %, respectively. The conversion rate decreased to 39.63 % after 28 h of reaction, but selectivity was retained at greater than 99 %. Very little coke was deposited on the used 1Pt1In/SBA-15 catalyst. With catalyst characterization, it was proposed that Pt 1 In 1 alloy nanoparticles with surface-enriched In 2 O 3 were responsible for the selective dehydrogenation of propane.