Promoted propane dehydrogenation over Co confined within core–shell silicalite-1 zeolite crystals

Abstract

Catalytic propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is an attractive process that can meet the growing demand for propylene. Among the extensively studied PDH catalysts, Co-based catalysts are considered especially promising because of their high activity and low cost. However, Co-based catalysts are often degraded by the aggregation of Co species and the formation of carbon nanotubes. To overcome these drawbacks, we prepared Co-confined core–shell silicalite-1 zeolite crystals by coating Co-loaded silicalite-1 with silicalite-1 layers. We confirmed that the silicalite-1 shell layers suppressed the formation of aggregated Co nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes during the PDH reaction, leading to improved catalytic performance. The material design described in this study contributes to progress in the field of materials chemistry related to energy and sustainability.