Synthesis of Pt-Cu/SiO2 catalysts with different structures and their application in hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane

Pt-Cu/SiO2 catalysts with different structures and chemical compositions were prepared using a two-step method. For the series of PtxCu100−x/SiO2 catalysts, Pt was deposited in the first step with H2PtCl6 as the precursor and Cu was deposited subsequently with Cu(NH3)42+ as the precursor. For the Cu100−xPtx/SiO2 catalyst, the deposition sequence was reversed accompanied with galvanic displacement of Cu0 by Pt4+. All the samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, H2 chemisorption, and DRIFT of CO adsorption, and evaluated for the catalytic hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane. The results show that the PtxCu100−x/SiO2 catalysts exhibit core–shell structures with Pt-rich alloy cores and Cu-rich alloy shells, while the Cu100−xPtx/SiO2 catalyst shows a Pt–Cu alloy core and a Pt rich alloy shell. Different structures and chemical compositions lead to quite different performances in catalyzing the hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane. The Pt16Cu84/SiO2 catalyst gave a high selectivity to ethylene over 90% and an excellent stability over 18 h run due to the Cu-rich shell structure, while the Cu44Pt56/SiO2 catalyst produced predominantly ethane due to the Pt rich shell.

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► Pt-Cu/SiO2 catalysts with core–shell structures.
► Controllable particle sizes and chemical compositions.
► High selectivity to ethylene for hydrodechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane.