Antiexfoliating h-BN⊃In2O3 Catalyst for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane in a High-Temperature and Water-Rich Environment

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is regarded as one of the most efficient catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) with high olefin selectivity and productivity. However, the loss of the boron component under a high concentration of water vapor and high temperature seriously hinders its further development. How to make h-BN a stable ODHP catalyst is one of the biggest scientific challenges at present. Herein, we construct h-BN⊃xIn2O3 composite catalysts through the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. After high-temperature treatment in ODHP reaction conditions, the In2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) are dispersed on the edge of h-BN and observed to be encapsulated by ultrathin boron oxide (BOx) overlayer. A novel strong metal oxide–support interaction (SMOSI) effect between In2O3 NPs and h-BN is observed for the first time. The material characterization reveals that the SMOSI not only improves the interlayer force between h-BN layers with a pinning model but also reduces the affinity of the B–N bond toward O• for inhibiting oxidative cutting of h-BN into fragments at a high temperature and water-rich environment. With the pinning effect of the SMOSI, the catalytic stability of h-BN⊃70In2O3 has been extended nearly five times than that of pristine h-BN, and the intrinsic olefin selectivity/productivity of h-BN is well maintained.