Abstract
Single-layer, ultrasmall ReS2 nanoplates embedded in amorphous carbon were synthesized from a hydrothermal treatment involving ammonium perrhenate, thiourea, tetraoctylammonium bromide, and further annealing. The rhenium disulfide, obtained as a low dimensional carbon composite (ReS2/C), was tested in the hydrodesulfurization of light hydrocarbons, using 3-methylthiophene as the model molecule, and showed enhanced catalytic activity in comparison with a sulfide CoMo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst. The ReS2/C composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The improved catalytic performance of this ReS2/C composite may be ascribed to the presence of a non-stoichiometric sulfur species (ReS2−x), the absence of stacking along the c-axis, and the ultra-small basal planes, which offer a higher proportion of structural sulfur defects at the edge of the layers, known as a critical parameter for hydrodesulfurization catalytic processes.
Highlights
Rhenium disulfide (ReS2 ) presents a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure similar to those of other Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDC), where the atoms within layers are bonded by covalent interactions; the layers in these TMDC are stacked, and held together by van der Waals forces, forming a sandwich-like structure analogous to graphite [1,2]
We explore a new approach to the synthesis of low-dimensional ReS2 layers—namely, by the hydrothermal sulfurization of a rhenium precursor (NH4 ReO4 ), assisted by tetraoctylammonium bromide, followed by annealing at 400 ◦ C
For the first time, crystallographically-independent, ultra-small ReS2 layers embedded in amorphous carbon were successfully obtained through a mild-energy hydrothermal route, using thiourea, tetraoctylammonium bromide, and ammonium perrhenate with further annealing
Summary
Rhenium disulfide (ReS2 ) presents a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure similar to those of other Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDC), where the atoms within layers are bonded by covalent interactions; the layers in these TMDC are stacked, and held together by van der Waals forces, forming a sandwich-like structure analogous to graphite [1,2]. Most of the syntheses are directed to the production of single crystalline layers, or few-layer thin crystals for electronic applications [16]. These ordered compounds have been successfully obtained by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) [17,18], by physical vapour desposition (PVD) [19], and by microwave-induced plasma methods [20]. TMDC catalysts require products with disordered and defect-rich structures, as well as high surface areas and poorly stacked layers [21]
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