Efficient Non‐Precious Metal Catalyst for Propane Dehydrogenation: Atomically Dispersed Cobalt‐nitrogen Compounds on Carbon Nanotubes

A hybrid catalyst comprising atomically dispersed cobalt‐nitrogen compounds anchoring on oxidized carbon nanotubes (OCNTs) is prepared and applied in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) reactions. The proposed non‐precious catalyst exhibits high initial conversion (∼20 %) and excellent selectivity of propene (>95 %), which is superior to those of metal‐free nanocarbon and some metal‐based catalysts. The chemical composition and structure of the proposed hybrid catalysts are elucidated by a series of characterizations and control experiments with a single component. These characterization results combined with the kinetic analysis indicate that the catalytic activity mainly originates from the cobalt‐nitrogen (Co−N) species supported on the OCNT surface. The present work sheds light on the structure‐function relationships of CoN catalysts, paving the way to develop non‐precious catalysts for PDH reactions. Support and stabilize: Monodispersed cobalt‐nitrogen compounds (Co−N species) are successfully anchored on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and the CoN@OCNT hybrid catalysts exhibit high activity in propane dehydrogenation reactions. Co−N species serve as main active sites, while CNTs do not only serve as supports but also provide covalent linking to enhance the stability of the catalysts.