Enthalpy-driven synthesis of magnetic high entropy oxide catalyst for efficient oxidative desulfurization and high-value product recovery

High entropy metal oxides (HEOs) have shown remarkable catalytic potential owing to their multifaceted and tunable chemical composition, coupled with their exceptional thermodynamic stability. Specifically, magnetic HEOs demonstrate enhanced effectiveness in terms of catalyst separation and recovery owing to their magnetic properties. Nevertheless, current synthesis methods for magnetic HEOs often involve high-temperature conditions (typically > 1100 °C) to maximize the contribution of mixing entropy (ΔSmix) in the Gibbs equation (ΔGmix = ΔHmix - TΔSmix). Herein, unlike previous approaches, a reduction in the mixing enthalpy (ΔHmix) is proposed to result in a negative Gibbs free energy for the crystallization of HEOs. Based on this principle, a magnetic high entropy oxide, CoCrFeMnMoOx (MHEO), is successfully synthesized, at a relatively low temperature (900 °C). Notably, the MHEO catalyst demonstrated outstanding catalytic activity in the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) system utilizing O2 as the oxidant, achieving a rapid and complete sulfur removal of 100% within 3 h. Moreover, it demonstrates remarkable cycling durability, allowing for continuous operation over 20 cycles without significant loss in ODS efficiency. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of the MHEO catalyst facilitated the efficient separation and recovery of both the catalyst and high-value products. These findings offer significant insights into the design of high entropy catalysts and contribute to the advancement of sustainable green development.