The production of olefin building blocks remains a critical aspect of the chemicals industry. The unique surface chemistry needed to achieve the direct dehydrogenation of ethane and propane for ethylene and propylene production has been difficult to achieve using monometallic transition metals (TM) or TM+TM alloy catalysts. On the other hand, uniquely low surface reactivity towards unsaturated C=C bonds is possible over non-noble metal intermetallic compounds composed of TM and p-elements. A systematic understanding the effect of constituent element choice on the surface chemistry of late 1st-row TM and boron-group IMCs has enabled the development of highly active and selective direct dehydrogenation catalysts for ethylene and propylene production from their corresponding alkanes. This presentation will highlight the development of the surface chemical understanding needed to design these catalysts and how this understanding can be extended to many other reactions that aim to produce olefins and other unsaturated products. By reducing surface reactivity towards carbon to limit unselective breakdown of reactant, intermediates, and olefin products, coke formation could be avoided and selectivity maximized towards olefins.

Design of non-noble metal intermetallic compound catalysts for the direct dehydrogenation of light saturated hydrocarbons for the production of ethylene and propylene

ACS Spring 2022

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