An all-in-one zeolite@Ru–Al₂O₃ nanoplatform toward highly efficient, anti-coking, and recyclable hydrocarbon cracking catalysis

Efficient utilization of hydrocarbon fuels holds great significance for the current vehicle low-emission requirements and future carbon-neutral society. However, the scenario that limits the effective fuel use and combustion is the present undesirable hydrocarbon-cracking catalysts of low activity, serious coking, and easy degradation. To tackle these issues, we rationally designed and synthesized an active, anti-coking, and recyclable all-in-one zeolite@Ru–Al₂O₃ catalyst on FeCrAl support by steam-assisted crystallization and atomic layer deposition. Ru nanoclusters dispersedly on ZSM-5 can boost the catalytic efficiency for hydrocarbon cracking and anti-coking, while the protective Al₂O₃ thin layers further ensure the reusable economy. As for n-dodecane (C₁₂H₂₆) cracking reaction, the ZSM-5@Ru–Al₂O₃ showed a high unit activity up to 0.1253%·ml·mg⁻¹·min⁻¹, low-carbon deposition rate, and the enhanced first-cycle carbon removal rate of 78.3% for recyclable use. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have further confirmed that high catalytic efficiency and low-carbon deposition benefit from the timely adsorption of C₁₂H₂₆ and timely transfer of reactant products at the composite interface. This work opens interesting possibilities for the rational design and fabrication of high-efficient, anti-coking, and recyclable hydrocarbon cracking catalysts through multifunctional structural regulations.