Interconversion of Atomically Dispersed Platinum Cations and Platinum Clusters in Zeolite ZSM-5 and Formation of Platinum -Dicarbonyls

Catalysts composed of platinum dispersed on zeolite supports are widely applied in industry, and coking and sintering of platinum during operation under reactive conditions require their oxidative regeneration, with the platinum cycling between clusters and cations. The intermediate platinum species have remained only incompletely understood. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical investigation of the structure, bonding, and local environment of cationic platinum species in zeolite ZSM-5, which are key intermediates in this cycling. Upon exposure of platinum clusters to O at 700 °C, oxidative fragmentation occurs, and Pt ions are stabilized at six-membered rings in the zeolite that contain paired aluminum sites. When exposed to CO under mild conditions, these Pt ions form highly uniform platinum -dicarbonyls, which can be converted in H to Pt monocarbonyls. This conversion, which weakens the platinum-zeolite bonding, is a first step toward platinum migration and aggregation into clusters. X-ray absorption and infrared spectra provide evidence of the reductive and oxidative transformations in various gas environments. The chemistry is general, as shown by the observation of platinum -dicarbonyls in several commercially used zeolites (ZSM-5, Beta, mordenite, and Y).