Novel Core-Shell Nanostructures for Selective Hydrogen Combustion in Hydrocarbon Streams

Recent trends indicate a strong demand for propylene which traditional sources (e.g. cracking) are failing to meet. On-purpose propylene production has seen a boom in interest, although current processes are limited by the reaction equilibrium of propane dehydrogenation to propylene. To break these limitations, we propose using copper oxide in silica (CuO@SiO2), a novel solid reactant, to selectively combust hydrogen in situ in order to produce heat and draw the equilibrium forward by Le Chatelier's principle (while being inert towards propane and propylene). We have synthesized a range of CuO@SiO2 nanostructures (and controls) and characterized them with XRD, TEM, XPS, BET, and cyclic reaction studies using online mass-spec. Notably, certain CuO@SiO2 structures are stable for over 50 cycles and show excellent selectivity towards hydrogen combustion. These results are shown and discussed along with future work.