Understanding the origin of selective oxidative dehydrogenation of propane on boron-based catalysts

Boron-based catalysts have been reported to exhibit high selectivity to olefins in oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP). However, the origin of their superior ODHP selectivity to conventional vanadium-based catalysts is still under debate. In this work, we proposed that oxidized boron species is the active site for highly selective olefin formation in ODHP on boron-based catalysts. Combined isotopic and kinetic experiments suggested that O-2 weakly bonds to the electron-deficient B center to form non-dissociative >B-O-O-B< on catalyst surface, which directly reacts with propane from the gas phase as a moderate oxidant in ODHP. The high selectivity of olefins in ODHP on such boron-based catalysts is due to the suppressed adsorption of olefins on>B- O-O-B< sites. These findings offer in-depth knowledge of ODHP on boron-based catalysts.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that oxidized boron species in boron-based catalysts serve as active sites for highly selective olefin formation. Furthermore, the high selectivity of olefins in ODHP on such catalysts is attributed to the suppressed adsorption of olefins on >B-O-O-B< sites.