Recently, Professor Luo Meng Fei’s team published a paper on titled "Regulating the synergy of sulfate and Pt species in Pt/ZSM-5 for propane complete oxidation".(Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy on 28 April 2024,see more at Research Progress).

Straight- and short-chain alkanes (CnH2n+2,n≥2) VOCs are widely present in the petrochemical industry,and they are the most thermodynamically stable and difficult to eliminate substances in VOCs.Improving the combustion performance of these alkanes is urgent and valuable in application.

Modulating the active sites in atomic level is very meaningful to optimize catalyst performance but still very challenge.Professor Luo’s team found that the synergistic effect of sulfate and Pt active sites can significantly improve the propane combustion performance.Herein,Pt catalysts loaded on different supports (ZSM-5, Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, CeO₂) were sulfate modified by in situ pyrolysis of (NH₄)₂SO₄ mixed with Pt catalyst.Sulfate remarkably improves these catalyst activities for propane combustion, particularly for the sulfate modified Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst with the highest activity among them. Through controlling the amount of (NH₄)₂SO₄ used and the loading of Pt, Pt/S atomic ratio in the sulfate modified Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst was successfully regulated.Pt/S atomic ratio significantly affects the electron transfer from Pt species to sulfate and also their interaction strength,which is decisive to the synergistic catalysis of sulfate and Pt species.The 5S-2Pt/ZSM-5 with Pt/S atomic ratio of 0.5 shows a moderate strength of sulfate and Pt species interaction, which is responsible for its highest reaction rate of 86.5μmol⋅g-1 Pts^-1at 200℃.This study has reference value for designing alkane VOCs oxidation catalysts with synergistic catalytic activity centers.