Tandem InO-Pt/AlO catalyst for coupling of propane dehydrogenation to selective H combustion.

Tandem catalysis couples multiple reactions and promises to improve chemical processing, but precise spatiotemporal control over reactive intermediates remains elusive. We used atomic layer deposition to grow InO over Pt/AlO, and this nanostructure kinetically couples the domains through surface hydrogen atom transfer, resulting in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propylene by platinum, then selective hydrogen combustion by InO, without excessive hydrocarbon combustion. Other nanostructures, including platinum on InO or platinum mixed with InO, favor propane combustion because they cannot organize the reactions sequentially. The net effect is rapid and stable oxidative dehydrogenation of propane at high per-pass yields exceeding the PDH equilibrium. Tandem catalysis using this nanoscale overcoating geometry is validated as an opportunity for highly selective catalytic performance in a grand challenge reaction.