Few-Layered Defect-Rich MoS<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets with Ni Doping as Catalysts for Efficient Hydrodesulfurization Reaction
Jiaxing Chen, Shufang Wu, Xinlin Zhang, Yongjun Liu
Abstract
Unsupported MoS 2 nanosheets are promising hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts that can effectively convert sulfur species in diesel to hydrocarbons and H 2 S during the production process of fossil fuels. However, the active site density of MoS 2 -based catalysts is limited due to the existence of a large amount of inert basal planes, hindering the improvement of MoS 2 HDS activity. Herein, a strategy that combines defect control and metal doping is proposed to boost the catalytic activity of unsupported MoS 2 nanosheets. By adjusting hydrothermal reaction conditions, few-layered defect-rich MoS 2 (DR-MoS 2 (FL)) is synthesized to significantly enhance the HDS efficiency, which is further improved by incorporating Ni atoms in basal planes, achieving the highest thiophene conversion of 92.3% at 280 °C. Moreover, the Ni-doped DR-MoS 2 (FL) catalyst exhibits excellent stability with the high activity retained in the recycling reaction. The effect of Ni dopants on the electronic structure and adsorption behavior of the MoS 2 basal planes is demonstrated by density functional theory calculation. This work reveals a facile method to tailor the basal planes with the formation of more Ni–Mo–S active sites for highly efficient MoS 2 HDS catalysts.