Lower loading of Pt on hydrophobic TS-1 zeolite: A high-efficiency catalyst for benzene oxidation at low temperature

Hydrophobic TS-1 zeolite with pore size closed to the dynamic diameter of benzene was selected as substrate for Pt dispersion to catalyze the benzene oxidation reaction at low temperature. The specific reaction rates (mmol(C6H6)/mol(pt)/s) were dependent on Pt particle size. The catalyst with the least Pt loading of 0.03 wt% and smallest average Pt NPs of ca. 5 nm exhibited the highest specific reaction rate and lowest Ea, indicating the smaller Pt NPs favored the reaction intrinsically. 0.03 wt% Pt/TS-1 sample was among the best noble metal catalyst considering the total usage of noble metal as well as the specific reaction rates. Due to the superior hydrophobic properties of TS-1, the Pt/TS-1 catalysts exhibited excellent water tolerance in catalytic benzene oxidation.