Pt/Cu single-atom alloys as coke-resistant catalysts for efficient C–H activation
- Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
- Univ. College London, London (United Kingdom). Thomas Young Centre and Dept. of Chemical Engineering
- Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). X-ray Science Division
- Univ. College London, London (United Kingdom). Thomas Young Centre, London Centre for Nanotechnology and Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
- Univ. College London, London (United Kingdom). Thomas Young Centre and Dept. of Chemical Engineering
The recent availability of shale gas has led to a renewed interest in C-H bond activation as the first step towards synthesis of fuels and fine chemicals. Heterogeneous catalysts based on Ni and Pt can perform this chemistry, but deactivate easily due to coke formation. Cu- based catalysts are not practical for this chemistry due to high C-H activation barriers, but their weaker binding to adsorbates offers resilience to coking. Utilizing Pt/Cu single atom alloys (SAAs) we examine C-H activation in a number of systems including methyl groups, methane, and butane using a combination of simulations, surface science, and catalysis studies. We find that Pt/Cu SAAs activate C-H bonds more efficiently than Cu, are stable for days under realistic operating conditions, and avoid the problem of coking typically encountered with Pt. Pt/Cu SAAs therefore offer a new approach to coke resistant C-H activation chemistry with the added economic benefit that the precious metal is diluted at the atomic limit.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Integrated Mesoscale Architectures for Sustainable Catalysis (IMASC)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); European Union (EU); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); Royal Society
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; FG02-10ER16170; FG02-05ER15730; AC05-00OR22725; SC0012573; 616121
- OSTI ID:
- 1426229
- Journal Information:
- Nature Chemistry, Vol. 10, Issue 3; ISSN 1755-4330
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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