In
this study, Pt nanoparticles on zeolite/γ-Al
2
O
3
composites (50/50 wt) were located either
in
the zeolite or
on
the γ-Al
2
O
3
binder, hereby varying the average distance (intimacy) between
zeolite acid sites and metal sites from “closest” to
“nanoscale”. The catalytic performance of these catalysts
was compared to physical mixtures of zeolite and Pt/γ-Al
2
O
3
powders, which provide a “microscale”
distance between sites. Several beneficial effects on catalytic activity
and selectivity for
n
-heptane hydroisomerization
were observed when Pt nanoparticles are located on the γ-Al
2
O
3
binder in nanoscale proximity with zeolite acid
sites, as opposed to Pt nanoparticles located inside zeolite crystals.
On ZSM-5-based catalysts, mostly monobranched isomers were produced,
and the isomer selectivity of these catalysts was almost unaffected
with an intimacy ranging from closest to microscale, which can be
attributed to the high diffusional barriers of branched isomers within
ZSM-5 micropores. For composite catalysts based on large-pore zeolites
(zeolite Beta and zeolite Y), the activity and selectivity benefitted
from the nanoscale intimacy with Pt, compared to both the closest
and microscale intimacies. Intracrystalline gradients of heptenes
as reaction intermediates are likely contributors to differences in
activity and selectivity. This paper aims to provide insights into
the influence of the metal–acid intimacy in bifunctional catalysts
based on zeolites with different framework topologies.