Propane dehydro-aromatization reaction over PtFe@S-1 coupling with Zn/ZSM-5 tandem catalysts: the role of Zn species

Unraveling the structure-activity relationship and improving the catalytic performance is paramount in propane dehydro-aromatization reactions. Herein, a tandem catalyst with high propane dehydro-aromatization reaction performance was prepared via coupling the PtFe@S-1 with Zn/ZSM-5 zeolites (PtFe@S-1&1.0Zn/ZSM-5), which exhibits high dehydrogenation activity, aromatics selectivity (∼60% at ∼78% propane conversion), and stability. The addition of zinc inhibits the cleavage of C 6 = intermediates on ZSM-5 and promotes the aromatization pathway by weakening zeolite acid strength, significantly improving the selectivity to aromatics. This understanding of the structure-activity relationship in propane dehydro-aromatization reaction helps develop future high-performance catalysts.