Sucrose-templated mesoporous β-Ga2O3 as a novel efficient catalyst for dehydrogenation of propane in the presence of CO2

A series of mesoporous β-Ga2O3 with high surface area have been prepared using eco-friendly sucrose as a non-surfactant template and studied in relation to their performance in the dehydrogenation of propane to propylene in the presence of CO2. Among the four sucrose-derived samples tested, the material prepared from a sucrose/Ga2O3 molar ratio of 4 achieved the highest propane conversion, which was approximately the double efficiency of the conventional β-Ga2O3. The enhanced activity of the sucrose-derived materials is attributed to a high abundance of coordinative unsaturated surface Ga sites as a consequence of their favorable textural properties and enhanced surface areas.

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► Mesoporous β-Ga2O3 with high surface area was prepared.
► Eco-friendly sucrose was used as a non-surfactant template.
► Propane dehydrogenation in the presence of CO2 over the β-Ga2O3 samples was studied.
► Enhanced activities were attributed to beneficial surface and textural properties.