Engineering hollow mesoporous silica supported cobalt molybdate catalyst by dissolution-regrowth strategy for efficiently aerobic oxidative desulfurization

Heterogeneous catalysts show superior separable and recyclable property in comparison with homogeneous catalysts. However, the conventional synthetic method faces the problem of uneven distribution of active sites. Here, a facile dissolution-regrowth strategy was developed to prepare hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres supported cobalt molybdate (CoMoO 4 /HMS) under mild conditions, simultaneously, CoMoO 4 was obtained in situ. The homogenous dispersion of the active species made the catalyst manifest an outstanding desulfurization efficiency in aerobic oxidative desulfurization compared with the supported single-metal oxides catalysts or supported CoMoO 4 catalyst prepared by wet impregnation. The removal efficiency of three sulfur-containing substances, such as dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene, could reach 100% by 5 h with molecular oxygen as an oxidant. Besides, the sulfur removal of DBT almost did not reduce after at least 8 cycles under the optimal reaction conditions. Through electron spin resonance spectroscopy and radical quenching experiments, O 2 − was determined as the main active oxygen species for sulfur oxidation. This dissolution-regrowth strategy can be used to prepare a series of supported multi-metal oxides for various applications.