Selective oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene

1. An efficient method for generating alkenes, the method comprising contacting alkane with catalyst clusters no greater than 30 atoms for a time sufficient to convert the alkane to alkene, wherein the atoms are metal, and wherein conversion occurs thermophoto-chemically with ultraviolet or visible wavelength radiations.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the atoms are metals selected from the group consisting of copper, palladium, platinum, silver, gold, cobalt, and combinations thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the catalyst clusters are positioned between 5 to 10 nm apart from each other.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the catalytic clusters are supported by rigid substrate.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the rigid substrate is a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, iron-oxide, silica oxide, zeolites, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, tin oxide, magnesium oxide, cerium oxide and combinations thereof.

6. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the rigid substrate is a carbon based support selected from the group consisting of nanocrystalline diamond, graphite, amorphous carbon, graphene, and combinations thereof.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the catalytic clusters are deposited on a powder.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the powder is fluidized.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the method is conducted in a reaction vessel and the alkane is entrained in a carrier gas flowing through the vessel.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the carrier gas is an inert gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, helium, and combinations thereof.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the method is conducted at ambient pressure.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the method is conducted at pressures ranging from between about 0.01 atm and 20 atm.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the method is conducted at temperatures between about 400° C. and 550° C.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein propylene is generated from propane and no residual intermediates exist.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the alkane is a compound less than 20 carbons selected from the group consisting of linear alkanes, cyclic alkanes, branched alkanes, and combinations thereof.

16. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein conversion occurs at temperatures not exceeding 500 C.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the alkane is propane and the alkene is propylene.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the selectivity for propylene is at least 50 percent at reaction temperatures of between about 400° C. and 550° C.

19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein propylene is generated from propane without any intermediate reaction steps.