Plasma treated M1 MoVNbTeOx–CeO2 composite catalyst for improved performance of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane

High activity and productivity of MoVNbTeO x catalyst are challenging tasks in oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODHE) for industrial application. In this work, phase-pure M1 with 30 wt% CeO 2 composite catalyst was treated by oxygen plasma to further enhance catalyst performance. The results show that the oxygen vacancies generated by the solid-state redox reaction between M1 and CeO 2 capture active oxygen species in gas and transform V 4+ to V 5+ without damage to M1 structure. The space-time yield of ethylene of the plasma-treated catalyst was significantly increased, in which the catalyst shows an enhancement near ∼100% than that of phase-pure M1 at 400 °C for ODHE process. Plasma treatment for catalysts demonstrates an effective way to convert electrical energy into chemical energy in catalyst materials. Energy conversion is achieved by using the catalyst as a medium.