Modulation of metal–support interactions in Pt–TiOx synergistic catalysts for propane dehydrogenation.

[Display omitted] • The SMSI strength is adjusted by varying the pretreatment gas. • A more pronounced SMSI strength results in higher electron density of Pt. • The defective TiO x promotes C–H activation for enhancing activity. • Catalysts with stronger SMSI show better propane dehydrogenation performance. The strong metal-support interaction exerts a significant influence on the catalytic performance of the metal active site. This paper describes the modulation of the coverage of TiO x on the Pt nanoparticles via the pretreatment atmosphere, and its influence of the catalytic performance for propane dehydrogenation. The direct reduction in H 2 at 600 °C of the Pt/TiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 catalyst induces partial coverage of the Pt nanoparticles by TiO x. This partial coverage with TiO x leads to higher electron density over platinum than catalysts treated through air calcination followed by reduction, which can enhance the selectivity of propylene. Furthermore, the presence of TiO x in the catalysts can promote C–H activation during propane dehydrogenation. Eventually, this synergistic catalyst presents a high formation rate of propylene (141.1 mmol·g cat -1·h−1) and propylene selectivity of ∼ 91 % with a low deactivation rate of 0.09 h−1. This study unveils an effective approach to modulate the catalytic performance of metals supported on oxides based on metal-support interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]