Performance Enhancement in Pt–CeO₂@SiO₂ Core–Sheath Nanofibers in the Dehydrogenation of Cycloalkanes and Alkanes

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Preventing the agglomeration and sintering of catalytically active platinum nanoparticles under reaction conditions is crucial for achieving enhanced catalytic performance, particularly in dehydrogenation processes. This work aims to design a core–sheath structure to protect Pt nanoparticles from agglomeration on a substrate such as ceria (CeO 2 ) and study the performance and stability of Pt nanoparticles under sheath protection. An electrospinning technique was employed to fabricate CeO 2 nanofibers (NFs), followed by impregnating Pt and introducing a silica (SiO 2 ) sheath layer to obtain Pt–CeO 2 @SiO 2 core–sheath NFs. The structural, morphological, and physical properties of the resulting materials were evaluated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), etching depth-profile X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-angle annular dark-field high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The in situ XRD measurement followed by the Rietveld refinement showed the protective effect of the sheath layer against the agglomeration of Pt nanoparticles in Pt–CeO 2 @SiO 2 materials. In the catalytic cyclohexane dehydrogenation (CDH) reaction, Pt–CeO 2 @SiO 2 materials show a 4-fold increase in benzene yield compared to the Pt–CeO 2 structure without the sheath layer, with both catalysts exhibiting full selectivity for benzene.