Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane over Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

At eye level: The high CH bond strength of ethane challenges the stability of metal-free carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH). However, surface modification of the CNTs with B2O3 or P2O5 leads to drastically enhanced oxidation resistance of the catalysts during ODH and increases alkene selectivity due to the suppression of electrophilic oxygen intermediates on the carbon surface.