Boosting the Stability of Subnanometer Pt Catalysts by the Presence of Framework Indium(III) Sites in Zeolite

Subnanometer metal clusters show advantages over conventional metal nanoparticles in numerous catalytic reactions owing to their high percentage of exposed surface sites, abundance of under-coordinated metal sites and unique electronic structures. However, the applications of subnanometer metal clusters in high-temperature catalytic reactions (>600 °C) are still hindered, because of their low stability under harsh reaction conditions. In this work, we have developed a zeolite-confined bimetallic PtIn catalyst with exceptionally high stability against sintering. A combination of experimental and theoretical studies shows that the isolated framework In(III) species serve as the anchoring sites for Pt species, precluding the migration and sintering of Pt species in the oxidative atmosphere at ≥650 °C. The catalyst comprising subnanometer PtIn clusters exhibits long-term stability of >1000 h during a cyclic reaction-regeneration test for ethane dehydrogenation reaction.