A self-regenerating Pt/Ge-MFI zeolite for propane dehydrogenation with high endurance.

Supported noble metal cluster catalysts are typically operated under severe conditions involving switching between reducing and oxidizing atmospheres, causing irreversible transformation of the catalyst structure and thereby leading to permanent deactivation. We discovered that various platinum (Pt) precursors spontaneously disperse in a germanium-MFI (Ge-MFI) zeolite, which opposes the Ostwald ripening phenomenon, producing self-regenerating Pt/Ge-MFI catalysts for propane dehydrogenation. These catalysts reversibly switch between Pt clusters and Pt single atoms in response to reducing reaction and oxidizing regeneration conditions. This environmental adaptability allows them to completely self-regenerate over 110 reaction and regeneration cycles in propane dehydrogenation, and they exhibited unprecedented sintering resistance when exposed to air at 800°C for 10 days. Such spontaneous metal dispersion in a Ge-MFI zeolite is a robust and versatile methodology for fabricating various rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and palladium cluster catalysts.