A method of forming a metal catalyst composition, comprising: performing a plurality of atomic layer deposition cycles to form metal oxide over-coat on a supported metal catalyst, where one or more of the atomic layer deposition cycles include sequential steps: (a) contacting a supported metal catalyst surface with a ligand-containing metal oxide precursor for a predetermined contact time to form an intermediate layer having a plurality of metal moieties that chemically bond to the supported metal catalyst surface; (b) contacting the intermediate layer with an inert gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, carbon dioxide and a combination thereof, for a predetermined intermediate stripping time that is from 1 s to 300 s, to remove unreacted ligand-containing metal oxide precursor; (c) reacting the metal moieties with water for a predetermined reaction time that is from 1 s to 300 s, to convert at least a portion of the ligands to hydroxyl groups thereby forming a layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat on the supported metal catalyst surface or a previously formed layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat; (d) prior to replicating sequential steps (a) and (b) and (c) to form an additional layer of the metal oxide over-coat, contacting the layer of the metal oxide, hydroxide, oxyhydroxide over-coat formed in step c) with an inert gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, carbon dioxide and a combination thereof, for a predetermined final stripping time that is from 1 s to 300 s to remove unreacted water; and (e) activating the layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat, where said activating includes calcining the over-coat in the presence of a non-reducing gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, oxygen, ozone, dry air and combinations thereof, at a temperature within a range from 500 °C to 800 °C for 60 minutes to 10 hours, after forming a final layer of the said over-coat having a thickness of from 1 nanometer to 100 nanometers, to form a plurality of pores therein, where at least 80 percent of the plurality of pores have a diameter within a range of 0.3 nanometers to 5 nanometers, where the pore size distribution is determined using nitrogen BET; and where the metal catalyst composition reduces an amount of coke formed during a dehydrogenation or an oxidative dehydrogenation reaction, as compared to same supported metal catalysts without the metal oxide over-coat; and where the metal oxide is aluminum oxide. (a) contacting a supported metal catalyst surface with a ligand-containing metal oxide precursor for a predetermined contact time to form an intermediate layer having a plurality of metal moieties that chemically bond to the supported metal catalyst surface; (b) contacting the intermediate layer with an inert gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, carbon dioxide and a combination thereof, for a predetermined intermediate stripping time that is from 1 s to 300 s, to remove unreacted ligand-containing metal oxide precursor; (c) reacting the metal moieties with water for a predetermined reaction time that is from 1 s to 300 s, to convert at least a portion of the ligands to hydroxyl groups thereby forming a layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat on the supported metal catalyst surface or a previously formed layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat; (d) prior to replicating sequential steps (a) and (b) and (c) to form an additional layer of the metal oxide over-coat, contacting the layer of the metal oxide, hydroxide, oxyhydroxide over-coat formed in step c) with an inert gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, carbon dioxide and a combination thereof, for a predetermined final stripping time that is from 1 s to 300 s to remove unreacted water; and (e) activating the layer of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxyhydroxide over-coat, where said activating includes calcining the over-coat in the presence of a non-reducing gas selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, oxygen, ozone, dry air and combinations thereof, at a temperature within a range from 500 °C to 800 °C for 60 minutes to 10 hours, after forming a final layer of the said over-coat having a thickness of from 1 nanometer to 100 nanometers, to form a plurality of pores therein, where at least 80 percent of the plurality of pores have a diameter within a range of 0.3 nanometers to 5 nanometers, where the pore size distribution is determined using nitrogen BET;