cs7b03123_si_001.pdf (1.11 MB)
Constrained Growth of MoS2 Nanosheets within a Mesoporous Silica Shell and Its Effects on Defect Sites and Catalyst Stability for H2S Decomposition
journal contribution
posted on 2017-12-01, 00:00 authored by Kelvin
Mingyao Kwok, Sze Wei Daniel Ong, Luwei Chen, Hua Chun ZengMolybdenum
disulfide (MoS2) is a two-dimensional transition-metal
dichalcogenide that can form layered nanosheets with catalytically
active sites present at edge or defect sites. The density of such
active sites can be further tuned by modifying the length, layer number,
strain, and surface defects of the sheets. Herein, a synthetic approach
has been developed to encapsulate nanoscale MoS2 nanosheets
inside a mesoporous silica shell. Small molybdenum(IV) oxide (MoO2) cores were synthesized and coated with a mesoporous silica
phase, followed by a conversion to MoS2@SiO2. The space constraint on the inner cores resulted in short, few-layered,
highly curved MoS2 nanosheets with circular or flowerlike
morphology. The MoS2@SiO2 was evaluated as a
catalyst for decomposition of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which
shows high catalytic turnover frequency and superior thermal stability
in comparison to unconstrained MoS2 catalysts.