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Structure of alumina-supported molybdenum disulfide hydrodesulfurization catalysts

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:7249058
The morphology of monolayer quantities of molybdenum oxide and sulfide phases supported on nonporous alumina and graphite thin films was studied by various electron microscopic techniques, including conventional, scanning, and controlled-atmosphere electron microscopy. When molybdenum oxide was supported on alumina, a strong oxide-support interaction was observed, resulting in a highly-dispersed molybdenum phase for loadings below ca. 5 Mo atoms nm/sup -2/. When supported on graphite, the support interaction was weaker and bulk molybdenum oxide formed that became mobile on the surface at temperatures higher than 930 K. This behavior can be explained by the relatively low surface energies for MoO/sub 3/ and graphite compared to the high surface energy for Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. On the alumina support, the molybdenum oxide support interaction was broken by sulfiding in H/sub 2/S/H/sub 2/ at ca. 750 K, with the formation of facetted single crystallites of MoS/sub 2/. The MoS/sub 2/ crystallites were present as hexagonally-shaped slabs with one truncated edge, and were bonded with their high-energy edge planes at various angles of orientation with respect to the alumina surface. After 910 K sulfidation, the particles became larger, and many were oriented with their basal planes parallel to the support. Reoxidation at temperatures greater than 645 K redispersed the crystallites due to spreading of molybdenum oxide over alumina.
Research Organization:
Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
OSTI ID:
7249058
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English