Dual-active-site composite of Ti-mesoporous silica-supported phosphomolybdic acid as an oxidative desulfurization catalyst

In this work, Ti-Mesoporous silica (Ti@SBA15)-supported phosphomolybdic acid (HPMo) composites, HPMo/Ti@SBA15, were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method. The physical and chemical properties of the composites were characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, FT-IR spectroscopy, TEM, SEM, and XPS. The results showed that the pores and surface of SBA-15 were loaded with HPMo and Ti(IV), and the dual active sites were well dispersed without agglomeration. The HPMo/Ti@SBA15 composite exhibited better performance than the single active site catalysts, HPMo@SBA15 and TiO2@SBA15, with high catalytic activity and stable reusability during oxidative desulfurization. The dispersion of the dual active components within the SBA-15 cages and synergistic catalytic effects between the two gave the composites catalytic activity and stability in the desulfurization experiments with different sulfur-containing substrates.