Sub-nanometer Alloyed Clusters Sustain High Productivity in Propane Dehydrogenation

Sub-nanometer Alloyed Clusters Sustain High Productivity in Propane Dehydrogenation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Sub-nanometer Alloyed Clusters Sustain High Productivity in Propane Dehydrogenation Qian He, Shangchen Lu, Yaxin tang, Bingqing Yao, Shibo Xi, Kang Hui Lim, and 14 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5355597/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) processes typically operate at low weight-hourly space velocities (WHSV) of around 10 h⁻¹ to ensure catalyst stability, which however limits propylene productivity to around 0.1 molC3H6·gcatalyst-1·h-1 or less. Here, we report well-controlled sub-nm alloyed PtSn clusters that can sustain propylene productivities about an order of magnitude better when operated at high propane WHSVs. At 165 h⁻¹, the catalyst achieved about 1 molC3H6·gcatalyst-1·h-1 for over 300 hours, with >99% propylene selectivity and a low deactivation rate of approximately 0.002 h⁻¹. Furthermore, the spent catalyst can be fully regenerated using simple air calcination. The clusters themselves have dynamic structures, which, along with their small size and complex coordination environment, allow Pt sites to access a broader range of electronic configurations. This is likely to provide the PDH reaction with a wider energy landscape to navigate, helping to surpass the activity-stability trade-offs in conventional catalysts. Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis Physical sciences/Chemistry/Catalysis/Heterogeneous catalysis Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryMovie1.mov MD Simulation of Dehydrogenation Over 4Pt4Sn@S-1 PDHSI.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5355597","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":383809033,"identity":"1a6ec1e4-029d-463d-92d6-d631f4a14064","order_by":0,"name":"Qian 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