Defect-Rich MoO3@CuxO Heterointerface with Abundant Cu+ Active Sites for Efficient Aerobic Oxidative Desulfurization

Heterointerface engineering is a catalyst design strategy based on the symbiotic growth of heterogeneous metal oxides. This strategy endows electronic structures, surface properties, and generation of active centers that are unavailable in the individual oxides. It can even generate entirely new active sites, thereby significantly enhancing catalytic performance. Herein, we prepared MoO 3 @Cu x O with symbiotic MoO 3 and CuO as a catalyst for aerobic catalytic oxidative desulfurization. Notably, after symbiosis, the catalyst exhibits new low-valence Cu + active sites absent in the individual oxides, along with defective interfaces more favorable for catalytic reactions and enhanced surface redox properties. Catalytic testing validates these findings: these new low-valence Cu + active sites enable the activation of superoxide radicals, achieving 100% desulfurization of aromatic sulfur compounds under air atmosphere within 5 h. Through the rational design of symbiotic heterogeneous metal oxides, this study not only highlights the pivotal role of heterointerface engineering in catalytic oxidation but also offers an effective strategy for designing oxidative desulfurization catalysts. Graphical