N-decane dehydrogenation on bimetallic PtSn and PtGe catalysts prepared by dip-coating

Abstract

The catalytic performance of Pt, PtSn and PtGe supported on γ-Al 2O3 (γ-A) deposited by dipcoating of spheres of α-Al2O3 (α-A) was studied in the n-decane dehydrogenation. The effect of Sn and Ge addition to Pt on the activity and selectivity was analyzed. The catalytic characterization was carried out using cyclohexane dehydrogenation (CHD), cyclopentane hydrogenolysis (CPH), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), hydrogen chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Pt(0.5)Sn/γ-A/α-A catalyst had the best catalytic performance and showed a low electronic interaction between the metals, with a surface segregation of Sn and the presence of oxidized Sn stabilized on the support. PtGe catalysts presented strong interactions with probable alloy formation. The catalytic performance of these catalysts is comparable to that reported in the patents.