High-Conversion\nPropane Dehydrogenation by Photocatalysis\nunder Ambient Conditions

Propane dehydrogenation has been actively pursued as\na promising\nmethod for propylene production to fill a growing supply–demand\ngap. Limited by the thermodynamics of this transformation, existing\napproaches face challenges of relatively low conversion and the need\nfor a high temperature and low pressure. In this work, we report a\nphotocatalytic approach that enables conversion beyond what can be\nachieved by conventional thermocatalysis. With sodium decatungstate\nand cobaloxime pyridine chloride as cooperative photocatalysts, we\nachieved a benchmark in propane dehydrogenation of 68.9% conversion\nand near-unity selectivity toward propylene production at room temperature\nand atmospheric pressure with hydrogen as the only byproduct. These\nresults prove the concept of dehydrogenating propane for propylene\nproduction using light as the key energy input.