Modulating the crystallinity of boron nitride for propane oxidative dehydrogenation

In this work, we optimized the catalytic performances of h-BN in propane oxidative dehydrogenation by modulating the catalyst crystallinity. The propane conversion rate per unit specific surface area of the catalyst (-mol C3H8/m(2)/s) was improved by almost ten times by modulating the crystallinity of BN catalyst, gaining a propylene productivity of about 3.10 lmol g cat(-1) s(-1). The reaction activity presented a negative relationship with the specific surface area but positively related to the crystallinity of BN. High degree of crystallinity is proved to be beneficial for the binding of O-2 to BN by the O-2-TPD results and zeta potentials of BN-T, which could probably reduce the energy barrier for the activation of O-2 and the formation of active sites. Additionally, the increase in propane conversion with the increase of reaction temperature tends to be gentle when the reaction temperature is above 530 degrees C, and it is almost equal to zero for O-2/C3H8 value increasing from 1.30 to 2.00, indicating an energy-efficient and economical route to convert C3H8 over BN catalyst with high crystallinity. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, the catalytic performance of h-BN in propane oxidative dehydrogenation was improved by modulating the catalyst crystallinity, leading to a significant increase in propane conversion rate. Additionally, the high crystallinity of BN was proven to be beneficial for O-2 binding, reducing the energy barrier for O-2 activation.