Effect of aluminum modification on catalytic properties of PtSn-based catalysts supported on SBA-15 for propane dehydrogenation

The catalytic properties of PtSn-based catalysts supported on siliceous SBA-15 and Al-modified SBA-15, such as Al-incorporated SBA-15 (A1SBA-15) and alumina-modified SBA-15 (AI ₂O ₃/SBA-15), for propane dehydrogenation were investigated. AI ₂O ₃/SBA-15 was prepared either by an impregnation method using aluminum nitrate aqueous solution, or by the treatment of SBA-15 with a Al(OC ₃H ₇) ₃ solution in anhydrous toluene. N ₂- physisorption, FT-IR spectroscopy, solid-state ²⁷Al MAS NMR spectroscopy, hydrogen chemisorption, XRF, NH ₃ temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and TPO were used to characterize these samples. Among these catalysts, the PtSn-based catalyst supported on AI ₂O ₃/SBA-15, which was grafted with Al(OC ₃H ₇) ₃, exhibited the best catalytic performance in terms of activity and stability The possible reason was due to the high Pt metal dispersion and/or the strong interactions among Pt, Sn, and the support.