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Modulating Propane Dehydrogenation Performance and Stability of Ni2P with Co Doping

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Abstract

Non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation is an endothermic reaction requiring thermally stable and regenerable catalysts to produce propylene. In this work, we investigate bimetallic CoXNi2-XP as an alternative, non-noble metal propane dehydrogenation catalyst. Co1Ni1P displayed higher propylene selectivity than Co2P and higher site-normalized propylene production rates than Ni2P. Different compositions of CoXNi2-XP catalysts were evaluated for propane dehydrogenation with oxidative regeneration in between each cycle. Ni-rich Co0.5Ni1.5P showed increased propylene production upon regeneration due to the formation of the Ni12P5 phase during reaction. In contrast, Co1Ni1P and Co1.25Ni0.75P showed the ability to recover > 50% of the initial activity for at least 3 oxidative regenerations, while maintaining high propylene selectivity without any phase change. This study showcases the enhancement in stability and propane dehydrogenation performance of Ni2P through Co incorporation and Ni:Co ratio control.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported primarily by the Engineering Research Centers Program of the National Science Foundation under NSF Cooperative Agreement no. EEC-1647722. The authors would also like to thank the Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility, the Notre Dame Molecular Structure Facility, Notre Dame Centre for Environmental Science and Technology, and Notre Dame Materials Characterization Facility for use of their facilities.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA

    Jessica A. Muhlenkamp, Yoonrae Cho & Jason C. Hicks

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  1. Jessica A. Muhlenkamp
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Correspondence to Jason C. Hicks.

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Muhlenkamp, J.A., Cho, Y. & Hicks, J.C. Modulating Propane Dehydrogenation Performance and Stability of Ni2P with Co Doping. Catal Lett 154, 910–919 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-023-04357-4

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