CATALYTIC FUNCTIONALITY OF UNSUPPORTED MOLYBDENUM SULFIDE CATALYSTS PREPARED WITH DIFFERENT METHODS

The catalytic functionality and structural properties of three kinds o f unsupported molybdenum sulfide catalysts were investigated by model test reactions and BET, TEM, XPS and XRD analyses. The results indicat ed that highly bent multilayered MoS2 structures were more catalytical ly active, while a well crystallized MoS2 structure was more favorable for direct S-extrusion during the reactions of dibenzothiophene. It w as proposed that the curvature of MoS2 basal planes was catalytically active, though they were less active for hydrodesulfurization than the edge planes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.