Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propene is an important alternative to oil-based cracking processes, to produce this industrially important platform chemical^1,2. The commercial PDH technologies utilizing Cr-containing (refs. ^3,4) or Pt-containing (refs. ^5–8) catalysts suffer from the toxicity of Cr(vi) compounds or the need to use ecologically harmful chlorine for catalyst regeneration⁹. Here, we introduce a method for preparation of environmentally compatible supported catalysts based on commercial ZnO. This metal oxide and a support (zeolite or common metal oxide) are used as a physical mixture or in the form of two layers with ZnO as the upstream layer. Supported ZnO_x species are in situ formed through a reaction of support OH groups with Zn atoms generated from ZnO upon reductive treatment above 550 °C. Using different complementary characterization methods, we identify the decisive role of defective OH groups for the formation of active ZnO_x species. For benchmarking purposes, the developed ZnO–silicalite-1 and an analogue of commercial K–CrO_x/Al₂O₃ were tested in the same setup under industrially relevant conditions at close propane conversion over about 400 h on propane stream. The developed catalyst reveals about three times higher propene productivity at similar propene selectivity.

Conversion of propane or butanes from natural/shale gas into propene or butenes, which are indispensable for the synthesis of commodity chemicals, is an important environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based cracking processes. Herein, we critically analyse recent developments in the non-oxidative, oxidative, and CO₂-mediated dehydrogenation of propane and isobutane to the corresponding olefins over metal oxide catalysts. Particular attention is paid to (i) comparing the developed catalysts in terms of their application potential, (ii) structure–activity–selectivity relationships for tailored catalyst design, and (iii) reaction-engineering aspects for improving product selectivity and overall process efficiency. On this basis, possible directions for further research aimed at the development of inexpensive and environmentally friendly catalysts with industrially relevant performance were identified. In addition, we provide general information regarding catalyst preparation and characterization as well as some recommendations for carrying out non-oxidative and CO₂-mediated dehydrogenation reactions to ensure unambiguous comparison of catalysts developed in different studies.

Due to the complexity of heterogeneous catalysts, identification of active sites and the ways for their experimental design are not inherently straightforward but important for tailored catalyst preparation. The present study reveals the active sites for efficient C–H bond activation in C₁–C₄alkanes over ZrO₂free of any metals or metal oxides usually catalysing this reaction. Quantum chemical calculations suggest that two Zr cations located at an oxygen vacancy are responsible for the homolytic C–H bond dissociation. This pathway differs from that reported for other metal oxides used for alkane activation, where metal cation and neighbouring lattice oxygen form the active site. The concentration of anion vacancies in ZrO₂can be controlled through adjusting the crystallite size. Accordingly designed ZrO₂shows industrially relevant activity and durability in non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation and performs superior to state-of-the-art catalysts possessing Pt, CrO_x, GaO_xor VO_xspecies.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is considered a promising approach to generating clean sustainable energy. However, the conventional co-catalyst (e.g., Pt) used in photocatalytic hydrogen production is high-cost and difficult to obtain. Here, we designed and prepared a ternary nanocomposite MXene@Au@CdS, which can be used in the field of efficient and excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production. The MXene@Au@CdS has a hydrogen production rate of 17,070.43 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ (tested for 2 h), which is 1.85 times that of pure CdS nanomaterials. The improved hydrogen production performance of the MXene@Au@CdS is attributed to: (i) MXene provides more active adsorption sites and reaction centers for Au and CdS nanoparticles; (ii) the synergistic effect of Au’s strong surface plasmon resonance expands the optical response range of CdS. Therefore, this work solves the problem of the solid connection between the surface functional groups of photocatalyst, and achieves rapid interface charge transfer and long-term stability during the hydrogen production.