Atomically Precise Strategy to a PtZn Alloy Nanocluster Catalyst for the Deep Dehydrogenation of n-Butane to 1,3-Butadiene

The development of on-purpose 1,3-butadiene (BDE) technologies remains an active area in catalysis research, because of the importance of BDE in industrial polymer production. Here, we report on a nonoxidative dehydrogenation catalyst for the production of BDE prepared by atomically precise installation of platinum sites on a Zn-modified SiO2 support via atomic layer deposition (ALD). In situ reduction X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), CO chemisorption, and high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging of activated PtZn/SiO2, revealed the formation of a uniform, well-distributed subnanometer- to nanometer-sized PtZn (1.2 +/- 0.3 nm) alloy as the active catalytic species.