Boosted low-temperature C3H8 oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO2 via post Co3(PO4)2 modification: Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity

He Xu; Xinyu Wang; Jingjing Wang; Jingyao Wang; Yujie Liu; Lianghui Xia; Yingying Yong; Yanfei Jian; Reem Albilali; Chi He

doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

Boosted low-temperature C₃H₈ oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO₂ via post Co₃(PO₄)₂ modification: Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity

He Xu
, Xinyu Wang
, Jingjing Wang
, Jingyao Wang
, Yujie Liu
, Lianghui Xia
, Yingying Yong
, Yanfei Jian
, Reem Albilali
, Chi He

School of Energy and Power Engineering

Xi'an Jiaotong University
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The widely presented industrial light alkanes (LAs) have posed significant hazards to the environment and human health; however, the efficacious catalytic purification of LAs is still greatly suffered from their strong chemical stability and catalyst deactivation due to the presence of sulfur-containing impurity in practical exhausts. Herein, cobalt phosphate (Co₃(PO₄)₂)-modified Pt/CeO₂ catalysts (Pt/CeO₂-xCP) with boosted activity and sulfur resistance were rationally engineered. Results revealed that Pt/CeO₂-0.2CP shows the highest C₃H₈ oxidation activity with 90 % of which oxidized at 260 °C and apparent activation energy (E_a) of 84.39 kJ∙mol⁻¹, obviously lower than that of Pt/CeO₂. Remarkably, the activity of Pt/CeO₂-0.2CP is well-maintained in 24 h of successive operation with the co-existence of 250 H₂S, while over 20 % of C₃H₈ conversion reduction can be found over Pt/CeO₂ due to the deactivation of Pt⁴⁺ active sites by surface sulfation. The Co₃(PO₄)₂-Pt interface promotes the electron transfer from Pt^δ+ to phosphorus component and weakens the Pt-O-Ce bond, thereby generating more highly active Pt⁴⁺ sites and oxygen vacancy, polarizing the electron cloud around the C-H bond and oxygen molecules and promoting C₃H₈ oxidation. Meanwhile, the Co₃(PO₄)₂ modification optimizes the surface acidity of Pt/CeO₂-CP, effectively weakens the adsorption and oxidation of H₂S, and maintains the formation and consumption of high active oxygen species, resulting in strong sulfur resistance. This work provides important insights for the rational design of efficient sulfur-tolerant catalysts towards LAs purification under harsh conditions.

Original language	English
Article number	126416
Journal	Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Volume	386
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416
State	Published - 5 Jun 2026

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This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

Catalytic oxidation
Cobalt phosphate modification
Propane
Pt/CeO
Sulfur resistance

Access to Document

10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

Cite this

Xu, H., Wang, X., Wang, J., Wang, J., Liu, Y., Xia, L., Yong, Y., Jian, Y., Albilali, R., & He, C. (2026). Boosted low-temperature C₃H₈ oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO₂ via post Co₃(PO₄)₂ modification: Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 386, Article 126416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

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title = "Boosted low-temperature C3H8 oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO2 via post Co3(PO4)2 modification: Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity",

abstract = "The widely presented industrial light alkanes (LAs) have posed significant hazards to the environment and human health; however, the efficacious catalytic purification of LAs is still greatly suffered from their strong chemical stability and catalyst deactivation due to the presence of sulfur-containing impurity in practical exhausts. Herein, cobalt phosphate (Co3(PO4)2)-modified Pt/CeO2 catalysts (Pt/CeO2-xCP) with boosted activity and sulfur resistance were rationally engineered. Results revealed that Pt/CeO2-0.2CP shows the highest C3H8 oxidation activity with 90 \% of which oxidized at 260 °C and apparent activation energy (Ea) of 84.39 kJ∙mol−1, obviously lower than that of Pt/CeO2. Remarkably, the activity of Pt/CeO2-0.2CP is well-maintained in 24 h of successive operation with the co-existence of 250 H2S, while over 20 \% of C3H8 conversion reduction can be found over Pt/CeO2 due to the deactivation of Pt4+ active sites by surface sulfation. The Co3(PO4)2-Pt interface promotes the electron transfer from Ptδ+ to phosphorus component and weakens the Pt-O-Ce bond, thereby generating more highly active Pt4+ sites and oxygen vacancy, polarizing the electron cloud around the C-H bond and oxygen molecules and promoting C3H8 oxidation. Meanwhile, the Co3(PO4)2 modification optimizes the surface acidity of Pt/CeO2-CP, effectively weakens the adsorption and oxidation of H2S, and maintains the formation and consumption of high active oxygen species, resulting in strong sulfur resistance. This work provides important insights for the rational design of efficient sulfur-tolerant catalysts towards LAs purification under harsh conditions.",

keywords = "Catalytic oxidation, Cobalt phosphate modification, Propane, Pt/CeO, Sulfur resistance",

author = "He Xu and Xinyu Wang and Jingjing Wang and Jingyao Wang and Yujie Liu and Lianghui Xia and Yingying Yong and Yanfei Jian and Reem Albilali and Chi He",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2026",

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day = "5",

doi = "10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416",

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Xu, H, Wang, X, Wang, J, Wang, J, Liu, Y, Xia, L, Yong, Y, Jian, Y, Albilali, R & He, C 2026, 'Boosted low-temperature C₃H₈ oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO₂ via post Co₃(PO₄)₂ modification: Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity', Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, vol. 386, 126416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

TY - JOUR

T1 - Boosted low-temperature C3H8 oxidation and sulfur resistance of Pt/CeO2 via post Co3(PO4)2 modification

T2 - Synergy of interfacial electronic modulation and phosphate-derived acidity

AU - Xu, He

AU - Wang, Xinyu

AU - Wang, Jingjing

AU - Wang, Jingyao

AU - Liu, Yujie

AU - Xia, Lianghui

AU - Yong, Yingying

AU - Jian, Yanfei

AU - Albilali, Reem

AU - He, Chi

PY - 2026/6/5

Y1 - 2026/6/5

N2 - The widely presented industrial light alkanes (LAs) have posed significant hazards to the environment and human health; however, the efficacious catalytic purification of LAs is still greatly suffered from their strong chemical stability and catalyst deactivation due to the presence of sulfur-containing impurity in practical exhausts. Herein, cobalt phosphate (Co3(PO4)2)-modified Pt/CeO2 catalysts (Pt/CeO2-xCP) with boosted activity and sulfur resistance were rationally engineered. Results revealed that Pt/CeO2-0.2CP shows the highest C3H8 oxidation activity with 90 % of which oxidized at 260 °C and apparent activation energy (Ea) of 84.39 kJ∙mol−1, obviously lower than that of Pt/CeO2. Remarkably, the activity of Pt/CeO2-0.2CP is well-maintained in 24 h of successive operation with the co-existence of 250 H2S, while over 20 % of C3H8 conversion reduction can be found over Pt/CeO2 due to the deactivation of Pt4+ active sites by surface sulfation. The Co3(PO4)2-Pt interface promotes the electron transfer from Ptδ+ to phosphorus component and weakens the Pt-O-Ce bond, thereby generating more highly active Pt4+ sites and oxygen vacancy, polarizing the electron cloud around the C-H bond and oxygen molecules and promoting C3H8 oxidation. Meanwhile, the Co3(PO4)2 modification optimizes the surface acidity of Pt/CeO2-CP, effectively weakens the adsorption and oxidation of H2S, and maintains the formation and consumption of high active oxygen species, resulting in strong sulfur resistance. This work provides important insights for the rational design of efficient sulfur-tolerant catalysts towards LAs purification under harsh conditions.

AB - The widely presented industrial light alkanes (LAs) have posed significant hazards to the environment and human health; however, the efficacious catalytic purification of LAs is still greatly suffered from their strong chemical stability and catalyst deactivation due to the presence of sulfur-containing impurity in practical exhausts. Herein, cobalt phosphate (Co3(PO4)2)-modified Pt/CeO2 catalysts (Pt/CeO2-xCP) with boosted activity and sulfur resistance were rationally engineered. Results revealed that Pt/CeO2-0.2CP shows the highest C3H8 oxidation activity with 90 % of which oxidized at 260 °C and apparent activation energy (Ea) of 84.39 kJ∙mol−1, obviously lower than that of Pt/CeO2. Remarkably, the activity of Pt/CeO2-0.2CP is well-maintained in 24 h of successive operation with the co-existence of 250 H2S, while over 20 % of C3H8 conversion reduction can be found over Pt/CeO2 due to the deactivation of Pt4+ active sites by surface sulfation. The Co3(PO4)2-Pt interface promotes the electron transfer from Ptδ+ to phosphorus component and weakens the Pt-O-Ce bond, thereby generating more highly active Pt4+ sites and oxygen vacancy, polarizing the electron cloud around the C-H bond and oxygen molecules and promoting C3H8 oxidation. Meanwhile, the Co3(PO4)2 modification optimizes the surface acidity of Pt/CeO2-CP, effectively weakens the adsorption and oxidation of H2S, and maintains the formation and consumption of high active oxygen species, resulting in strong sulfur resistance. This work provides important insights for the rational design of efficient sulfur-tolerant catalysts towards LAs purification under harsh conditions.

KW - Catalytic oxidation

KW - Cobalt phosphate modification

KW - Propane

KW - Pt/CeO

KW - Sulfur resistance

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105027209694

U2 - 10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

DO - 10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.126416

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:105027209694

SN - 0926-3373

VL - 386

JO - Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

JF - Applied Catalysis B: Environmental

M1 - 126416

ER -