Alkane ODH is an important catalytic reaction for converting lower alkanes to olefins, such as ethylene and propylene. However, one of the shortcomings of traditional ODH is the limited ability to prevent further oxidation of the formed olefins to carbon oxides. Novel reactors using an oxide ion-conducting membrane offer a potential solution to control the selectivity to the desired olefins by regulating the availability of oxygen to the alkane. These reactors are similar to the setup of solid oxide fuel cells, but instead of generating power, an external voltage/current is applied to control the oxygen supply to the alkane. This can potentially help regulate the extent of alkane conversion and enhance the selectivity towards partial oxidation products. Initial electro-catalytic reaction tests an Au electrode demonstrated the feasibility of such a reactor. The currents studies are focusing on developing Ti-based perovskites to be tested as electro-catalysts for this application.
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