The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) has been broadly studied as a potentially more energy-efficient alternative to naphtha cracking and propane dehydrogenation for propylene production. However, decades of research establishing supported vanadium oxide as the state-of-the-art catalyst for ODHP still does not achieve commercially attractive selectivity to the olefin due to the facile over-oxidation of propylene to CO and CO2 (COx). In this presentation, I will expound upon our discovery of boron and boron containing materials (like BN, B4C, NiB, amongst others) as highly selective catalysts for the ODHP reaction. Tuning of the reaction conditions changes the product distribution towards cracking products. FTIR, Raman, XPS, XAS and MAS NMR spectroscopic studies indicate that all tested boron-containing materials commonly share a partially oxidized surface, formed in situ. We propose that this surface layer contains the active site denoted BOxHy and utilize a suite of solid-state NMR experiments to further resolve the near surface chemical environment of these catalysts. We believe that the surface layer is likely influenced by the properties of the bulk material, opening new possibilities for future catalyst development.

Selective oxidation and oxidative cracking of alkanes using boron-containing materials

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.