Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation

Summary

A convenient method for the synthesis of 2 nm supported bimetallic nanoparticle Pt-Cu catalysts for propane dehydrogenation is reported here. In situ synchrotron X-ray techniques allow for the determination of the catalyst structure, which is typically unobtainable using laboratory instruments.

Abstract

A convenient method for the synthesis of bimetallic Pt-Cu catalysts and performance tests for propane dehydrogenation and characterization are demonstrated here. The catalyst forms a substitutional solid solution structure, with a small and uniform particle size around 2 nm. This is realized by careful control over the impregnation, calcination, and reduction steps during catalyst preparation and is identified by advanced in situ synchrotron techniques. The catalyst propane dehydrogenation performance continuously improves with increasing Cu:Pt atomic ratio.

Introduction

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is a key processing step in the production of propylene, taking advantage of shale gas, the fastest growing source of gas in the country¹. This reaction breaks two C-H bonds in a propane molecule to form one propylene and molecular hydrogen. Noble metal catalysts, including Pd nanoparticles, exhibit poor selectivity for PDH, breaking the C-C bond to produce methane with a high yield, with the concomitant production of coke, leading to catalyst deactivation. Recent reports showed that selective PDH catalysts could be obtained by the addition of promoters like Zn or In to Pd^2,3,4. The promoted catalysts are near 100% selective to PDH, as opposed to less than 50% for monometallic Pd nanoparticles of the same size. The great improvement in selectivity was attributed to the formation of PdZn or PdIn intermetallic compound (IMC) structures on the catalyst surface. The ordered array of two different types of atoms in the IMCs geometrically isolated the Pd active sites with non-catalytic Zn or In atoms, which turned off the side reactions catalyzed by an ensemble (group) of neighboring Pd active sites.

Platinum has the highest intrinsic selectivity among noble metals for propane dehydrogenation, but it is still not satisfactory for commercial use¹. Typically, Sn, Zn, In, or Ga is added as promoter for Pt^{5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13}. Based on the idea that geometric active site isolation contributes to high selectivity, any non-catalytic element forming an alloy structure with Pt, such as Cu, should also potentially promote catalyst performance¹⁴. Several previous studies suggested that the addition of Cu indeed improved the PDH selectivity of Pt catalysts^15,16,17,18. Nevertheless, no direct evidence has been reported to determine whether Pt and Cu form bimetallic nanoparticles or ordered structures, which is crucial to understanding the promotional effect of Cu. In the binary phase diagram of Pt-Cu, two different structure types are possible over a wide composition range^16,18: intermetallic compound, in which Pt and Cu each occupy specific crystal sites, and solid solution, in which Cu randomly substitutes in the Pt lattice. IMCs form at low temperature and transform into solid solution at around 600 – 800 °C for bulk materials¹⁴. This transformation temperature may be lower for nanoparticles, near the reaction temperature of PDH (i.e. 550 °C). Therefore, it is essential to investigate the atomic order of Pt-Cu under reaction conditions. For supported nanoparticles with small particle sizes, it is very challenging to obtain meaningful structural information using laboratory instruments¹⁹. The limited repetition of unit cells leads to very broad diffraction peaks with very low intensities. Because of the high fraction of surface atoms in nanoparticles 1 – 3 nm in size, which are oxidized in air, diffraction must be collected in situ using high-flux X-ray, typically available with synchrotron techniques.

The previously reported Pt-Cu PDH catalysts were all larger than 5 nm in size^15,16,17,18. However, for noble metal nanoparticle catalysts, there is always a strong desire to maximize catalytic activity per unit cost by synthesizing catalysts with high dispersions (typically around or less than 2 nm in size)¹⁹. Though the preparation of bimetallic nanoparticles of this size is possible by standard impregnation methods, rational control over the procedures is necessary. The metal precursors, pH of the impregnating solution, and support type need to be controlled to optimize the anchoring of the metal species onto high-surface area supports. The subsequent calcination and reduction heat treatments should also be carefully controlled to suppress the growth of the metallic nanoparticles.

This article covers the protocol for the synthesis of supported 2 nm Pt-Cu bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts and for the testing of their propane dehydrogenation performance. The structure of the catalysts is investigated by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM), in situ synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), which help elucidate the improved catalyst performance upon the introduction of Cu.

Protocol

1. Synthesis of Supported 2 nm Pt-Cu Bimetallic Nanoparticle Catalysts Preparation of metal precursor solution Dissolve 0.125 g of copper nitrate trihydrate (Cu(NO3)2·3H2O) in 1 mL of water to achieve a sky blue solution. Caution: Use protective gloves when handling chemicals. Add ammonia dropwise to the copper nitrate solution, forming dark blue precipitates of copper hydroxide. Caution: Use a fume hood for handling…

Representative Results

The propylene selectivity versus time for Pt and Pt-Cu catalysts measured at an initial propane conversion of about 20% is presented in Figure 1A. Pt catalyst has an initial selectivity of 61%, which increases to about 82% with time on-stream as the catalyst deactivates for 1h. The Pt-0.7Cu catalyst shows a better initial propylene selectivity of 72%. For Pt-2.3Cu and Pt-7.3Cu catalysts, their initial selectivity reach 90% and 96%, respectively, and are maint…

Discussion

The Pt-Cu catalysts prepared in this work contain uniform nanoparticles around 2 nm in size, similar to heterogeneous catalysts qualified for industrial application. All the Pt and Cu precursors form bimetallic structures, as opposed to separate monometallic particles. This bimetallic interaction and small particle size are realized by careful control over the synthesis procedures. The impregnation process makes use of the Strong Electrostatic Adsorption (SEA) between metal ions and the surface of certain oxide supports<…

Materials

1 inch quartz tube reactor	Quartz Scientific	Processed by glass blower
drying oven	Fisher Scientific
calcination Furnace	Thermo Sciencfic
clam-shell temperature programmed furnace	Applied Test System	Custom made
propane dehydorgenation performance evaluation system		Homemade
gas chromatography	Hewlett-Packard	Model 7890
TEM grid	TedPella	01824G
pellet press	International Crystal Lab	0012-8211
die set	International Crystal Lab	0012-189
Linkam Sample Stage	Linkam Scientific	Model TS1500
copper nitrate trihydrgate	Sigma Aldrich	61197
tetraammineplatinum nitrate	Sigma Aldrich	278726
ammonia	Sigma Aldrich	294993
silica	Sigma Aldrich	236802
isopropyl alcohol	Sigma Aldrich
balance	Denver Instrument Company	A-160
spatulas	VWR
ceramic and glass evaporating dishes, beakers	VWR
heating plate
kimwipe papers
mortar and pestle
quartz wool
Swagelok tube fittings