Inhibiting platinum sintering in direct ethane dehydrogenation and nonoxidative methane activation reactions by sequential sulfide layered chemical vapor deposition

[Display omitted] •Methane activation and ethane dehydrogenation are coupled over Pt sulfate catalyst.•A unique synthesis method of Pt-S-Pt sulfide layering onto Al2O3 is developed.•Pt sintering can be effectively minimized via the layered sulfidation approach.•Combined methane activation and ethane dehydrogenation reactions shows feasibility compared to using pure ethane as reactant. Catalysts used in non-oxidative ethane dehydrogenation reactions, particularly Pt-based alumina, are prone to sintering under the reaction conditions. Sintering is the most harmful form of deactivation for these catalysts, as it cannot be reversed, necessitating replacement. A new synthesis technique is employed to create a sulfate layer on and around Pt nanoparticles, followed by a second loading of Pt nanoparticles. This approach aims to prevent sintering during the ethane dehydrogenation reaction. Catalyst synthesized via Sequential Sulfide Layered-Chemical Vapor Deposition (SSL-CVD), exhibits high stability for at least 12 h of the reaction, outperforming the Pt/Al2O3 catalyst used for comparison. Observably, sintering is prevented and is shown to be the reason for the sustained high activity of this material. Non-oxidative methane activation is carried out simultaneously to assist in removing the ethylene product and shifting the equilibrium. The combination of ethane dehydrogenation and methane activation reactions demonstrates the feasibility of direct shale gas utilization.