Palladium nanoparticles anchored on silanol nests of zeolite showed superior stability for methane combustion.

Supported palladium catalysts exhibit exceptional catalytic activity in methane combustion, yet they still suffer from rapid deactivation due to sintering during reaction conditions. In this study, we reported supported palladium catalysts on siliceous MFI zeolite with abundant silanol nests, which served as highly effective anchoring sites for stabilizing PdO x nanoparticles. The innovative Pd/S-1-OH catalyst demonstrated remarkable catalytic activity in methane combustion, achieving a low T 50 of 295 °C. Additionally, this catalyst demonstrated extremely high stability even after severe hydrothermal aging at 750 °C for 16 hours, and maintained long-term stability in wet methane combustion for 100 hours. Various characterizations confirmed the anchoring effect of silanol nests for PdO x nanoparticles, primarily attributed to the robust binding energy between PdO x nanoparticles and silanol nests. Furthermore, the engineering of silanol nests on zeolite through desilication significantly improved the stability of Pd/silicalite-1, thereby benefiting for the development of palladium/zeolite catalysts with exceptional stability. [Display omitted] • Silanol nests on zeolite serve as anchoring sites for stabilization of PdO x nanoparticles. • Silanol nests anchored PdO x nanoparticles on the external surface of S-1-OH zeolite. • Pd/S-1-OH catalyst showed remarkable catalytic activity and stability in methane combustion. • The robust binding energy between PdO x nanoparticles and silanol nests was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]