Bimetallic Bifunctional Pt-NiP/Hβ as a Novel and Highly Efficient Catalyst for n-Hexane Isomerization

A novel bimetallic bifunctional Pt–NiP/Hβ isomerization catalyst was successfully prepared by introducing a small amount of noble metal Pt into the NiP on the Hβ carrier. The catalyst demonstrated superior catalytic activity to Pt/Hβ and NiP/Hβ catalysts for n -hexane isomerization, due to the good surface property, the synergistic effect of the two metals, the suitable match between acid site and metal site, as well as good reduction stability. The effects of Pt loading and NiP addition amount on the surface property were studied comprehensively through a series of characterization, and the correlation among surface property with catalytic behavior was also analyzed. The results indicated that the Pt (0.1 mol%)–NiP (10 mol%)/Hβ catalyst had good structural characters, surface acid property and an uniform distribution of NiP and Pt active components on surface, which is helpful to obtain a highly efficient catalytic performance. Additionally, the influence of reduction/reaction conditions on the catalytic activity, as well as the catalyst tolerance to water and thiophene sulfur, was investigated furtherly.