Dehydrogenation of propane over sugar foams templated Ga2O3 nanoparticles catalysts

Highly active Ga 2 O 3 nanoparticles catalysts were prepared by one-step oxidative decomposition of gallium nitrate with sucrose-derived carbon foams (SCF) template. The catalysts were investigated by XRD, Ar physisorption, SEM–EDS, HRTEM, TGA, NH 3 -TPD and 71 Ga MAS NMR. The addition of sucrose facilitated the higher surface area of Ga 2 O 3 nanoparticles and morphological transformation from bulk to flake due to the structure-directing role of the sucrose solution. Moreover, the weak-medium surface acid sites increased by adding sucrose properly, which was related to the larger number of tetrahedral Ga 3+ cations. The optimum catalytic activity was achieved over S X CF-Ga 2 O 3 catalysts at the sucrose/Ga 2 O 3 molar ratio of 6 with the propane conversion of 46.63% and propene selectivity of 88.18%. Graphic abstract