Scalable Atomic‐Layer Tailoring of Abundant Oxide Supports Unlocks Superior Interfaces for Low‐Metal‐Loading Dehydrogenation

Abstract

Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) offer a promising solution for global hydrogen infrastructure, but their practical application faces two key challenges: sluggish dehydrogenation processes and the reliance on catalysts with high noble metal loadings. This study presents a scalable approach to reduce noble metal usage while maintaining high catalytic activity. We synthesized an ultralow Pt content (0.1 wt %) catalyst using γ-Al₂O₃-based pellet support with atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO₂. Advanced characterization techniques reveal that the thin ALD-TiO₂ shell provides a heterogeneous interface, confining electronically rich Pt-nanoparticle ensembles. The catalyst outperforms both equivalent Pt-content catalysts and a commercial 0.5 wt % Pt/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst in homocyclic LOHC dehydrogenation. This study provides insights into the beneficial role of ALD-engineered interfaces for catalytic supports and offers an efficient approach for scalable production of low-noble-metal-content catalysts, with implications for various catalytic processes.

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