Low-Dimensional ReS2/C Composite as Effective Hydrodesulfurization Catalyst

• Published in: Catalysts Vol. 7; no. 12; p. 377
• Main Authors: Aliaga, Juan, Zepeda, Trino, Araya, Juan, Paraguay-Delgado, Francisco, Benavente, Eglantina, Alonso-Núñez, Gabriel, Fuentes, Sergio, González, Guillermo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.12.2017
• Subjects: 3-methylthiophene; Aluminum oxide; Catalysis; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Chemical reactions; Chemical synthesis; Energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy; Energy transmission; hidrodesulfurization; Hydrocarbons; Hydrodesulfurization; Hydrothermal treatment; light S-hydrocarbons; Planes; Process parameters; Rhenium; rhenium disulfide; Scanning electron microscopy; Scanning transmission electron microscopy; single layer; solvothermal synthesis; Spectrum analysis; Sulfur; thiophene; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; X-rays
• DOI: 10.3390/catal7120377
• ISSN: 2073-4344

Single-layer, ultrasmall ReS2 nanoplates embedded in amorphous carbon were synthesized from a hydrothermal treatment involving ammonium perrhenate, thiourea, tetraoctylammonium bromide, and further annealing. The rhenium disulfide, obtained as a low dimensional carbon composite (ReS2/C), was tested in the hydrodesulfurization of light hydrocarbons, using 3-methylthiophene as the model molecule, and showed enhanced catalytic activity in comparison with a sulfide CoMo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The ReS2/C composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The improved catalytic performance of this ReS2/C composite may be ascribed to the presence of a non-stoichiometric sulfur species (ReS2−x), the absence of stacking along the c-axis, and the ultra-small basal planes, which offer a higher proportion of structural sulfur defects at the edge of the layers, known as a critical parameter for hydrodesulfurization catalytic processes.