Addressing the pervasive challenges of rapid catalyst deactivation in on-purpose propylene production, a research team from Nankai University has successfully developed a novel, highly stable Pt-Fe bimetallic catalyst tailored for propane dehydrogenation (PDH). The team, led by Professors Guangjun Wu and Landong Li, focused on confined metal@zeolite materials that act as a attractive platform for chemical reactions.This advancement presents a transformative approach to extending catalyst lifetime under demanding, high-temperature industrial conditions.
Through a precisely controlled one-pot synthetic strategy, the researchers constructed atomically dispersed Pt-O-Fe active centers embedded directly within the framework of MFI zeolite nanosheets. The structural integrity of these specific active sites yields remarkable catalytic metrics. During continuous evaluation at 550 °C, the engineered catalyst demonstrated minor degradation over a 30-hour on-stream period. Furthermore, the system maintained an exceptional propylene selectivity exceeding 95% and proved to be fully regenerable. This work provides a breakthrough structural design paradigm for the next generation of industrial-grade PDH catalysts.
The exceptional durability of the catalyst is fundamentally rooted in the framework-anchoring effect of the iron species, which establishes a robust support-mediated Pt-O-Fe coordination motif. This architectural configuration imposes a significant thermodynamic barrier that suppresses the thermal sintering of Pt species, maintaining their atomic dispersion under high-temperature reaction conditions. Mechanistically, the catalyst operates through a localized synergistic interaction: while the site-isolated Pt centers facilitate the selective activation of C-H bonds in propane, the adjacent Fe species promote efficient recombinative hydrogen desorption. By optimizing the electronic environment of the active sites, this dual-function mechanism effectively bypasses deleterious deep-dehydrogenationpathways, thereby inhibiting the formation of carbonaceous deposits (coking) and ensuring long-term catalytic integrity.
This work provides a transformative blueprint for the rational design of bimetallic catalysts that harmonize high intrinsic activity with superior hydrothermal stability. By demonstrating a strategy to anchor noble metals within zeolite frameworks, this research paves the way for more sustainable and cost-effective propylene production, potentially reducing the environmental and economic overhead of large-scale industrial dehydrogenation processes. The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65003-6)
About the journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top six journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 17.7.
At Elsevier : http://www.journals.elsevier.com/chinese-journal-of-catalysis
Manuscript submission: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/cjcatal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis
Isolated Pt sites anchored by skeletal Fe in MFI zeolite nanosheets towards productive propane dehydrogenation
5-May-2026