Recently, Fuzhou University, Sinopec Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (SRIPT) and Shanghai Advanced Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have collaborated and made progress in the research field of propane dehydrogenation catalysts. Relevant research results were published in Science. 

At present, the shale gas revolution and the "dual carbon" strategy have driven the rapid development of propane dehydrogenation technology, making it the mainstream route for directional production of propylene. Supported Pt clusters are the mainstream catalysts for propane dehydrogenation technology. However, Pt clusters are highly prone to sintering and deactivation under harsh service conditions, necessitating frequent chlorine-induced redispersion of Pt particles in an oxygen-chlorine mixed atmosphere, while burning off carbon deposits to restore their catalytic activity. This not only leads to equipment corrosion and the generation of chlorine-containing pollutants but also produces significant carbon emissions.

The research team focused on developing a chlorine-free renewable Pt-based catalyst and proposed a simple and efficient preparation method for propane dehydrogenation catalysts. The catalyst prepared by this method exhibits dynamic reversible conversion between clusters and single atoms during the "dehydrogenation reaction-carbon burning regeneration" cycle. Notably, after continuous treatment in an oxidative environment at 800°C for up to 10 days, the Pt species within the catalyst pores remained stable, achieving complete regeneration over 100 times in a chlorine-free oxidative atmosphere. 

This study not only provides a scientific foundation for the preparation of Pt catalysts for alkane dehydrogenation but also opens up a new pathway for the development of high-temperature sintering-resistant metal cluster catalysts.