Highly efficient catalytic propane dehydrogenation driven by MFI zeolite defect sites.

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is a critical technology for propylene production, yet overcoming the trade-off between activity and stability remains a major challenge. Here, we engineer a robust Pt@Sn-MFI catalyst with a wormhole-type structure, featuring highly dispersed Pt clusters robustly anchored by open sites in Sn-MFI, i.e., [SiO](3) - Sn-O-Pt(n), complemented by abundant zeolite defects (i.e., Si-OH) in the proximity. This architecture enables a near-thermodynamic equilibrium conversion and a propylene selectivity of ≥98.5%, with the high apparent forward rate coefficient of 1064.5 mol(C3H6) g(Pt)(-1)h(-1)bar(-1) and stability for at least 120 h without requiring H(2) or CO(2) co-feeding. Comprehensive characterization, isotope-labeling experiments and theoretical calculations reveal a plausible hydroxy-assisted PDH reaction pathway, wherein the synergy between Pt sites and neighboring hydroxyl groups (i.e., zeolite defects) significantly reduces the energy barrier for H(2) formation via the combination of H in propane adsorbed on Pt sites with H in hydroxyl groups, thereby promoting the PDH process.