Fully-Exposed Pt Cluster@Zeolite catalysts for efficient n-Hexane aromatization

•The fully exposed Pt cluster with an average Pt–Pt coordination number of ∼2 (Pt4@KL) towards n-hexane aromatization (n-HAM).•The Pt4@KL shows the highest benzene yield of 85.7 % with close to 100 % conversion and the maximum TOF of 8.63 s−1 at 440 °C.•The Pt4@KL exhibits a superior long–term durability upto 600 h, and an ultrahigh n-hexane conversion of 95% after n-HAM reaction.•The corresponding tablet catalyst showed a comparable catalytic performance of Pt4@KL powder for n-HAM, to investigate its potential application in industry. The exploration of Pt cluster catalysts with minimal or fully exposed Pt atoms for specific reactions is meaningful but challenging, aiming to maximize Pt atomic utilization. To answer the above question, we design 4Pt cluster catalysts within a KL zeolite (Ptn@KL, n represents Pt atom numbers) for an n-hexane aromatization (n-HAM) reaction. Pt species in Ptn@KL are identified as Pt1, and Pt4, Pt9, and Pt13 clusters, respectively; the corresponding Pt–Pt coordination number ranges from 0, 2, 3.3 to 4.5. When tested in n-HAM at 440 °C, Pt4@KL shows the highest benzene yield of 85.7 % with ∼ 100 % conversion and superior durability up to 600 h. In-situ characterizations and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the optimal Ptn@KL CTs towards n-HAM is a fully exposed Pt cluster with CNPt–Pt of 2.