Controlled Gas Exfoliation of Boron Nitride into Few‐Layered Nanosheets

The controlled exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) into single‐ or few‐layered nanosheets remains a grand challenge and becomes the bottleneck to essential studies and applications of h‐BN. Here, we present an efficient strategy for the scalable synthesis of few‐layered h‐BN nanosheets (BNNS) using a novel gas exfoliation of bulk h‐BN in liquid N₂ (L‐N₂). The essence of this strategy lies in the combination of a high temperature triggered expansion of bulk h‐BN and the cryogenic L ‐N₂ gasification to exfoliate the h‐BN. The produced BNNS after ten cycles (BNNS‐10) consisted primarily of fewer than five atomic layers with a high mass yield of 16–20 %. N₂ sorption and desorption isotherms show that the BNNS‐10 exhibited a much higher specific surface area of 278 m² g^?1 than that of bulk BN (10 m² g^?1). Through the investigation of the exfoliated intermediates combined with a theoretical calculation, we found that the huge temperature variation initiates the expansion and curling of the bulk h‐BN. Subseqently, the L ‐N₂ penetrates into the interlayers of h‐BN along the curling edge, followed by an immediate drastic gasification of L ‐N₂, further peeling off h‐BN. This novel gas exfoliation of high surface area BNNS not only opens up potential opportunities for wide applications, but also can be extended to produce other layered materials in high yields.     

Unusual Regenerable Porous Metal–Organic Framework Based on a New Triple Helical Molecular Necklace for Separating Organosulfur Compounds

Desulfurization of fuels is receiving more and more attention all over the world due to the increase of stringent environmental regulations and fuel specifications. The metal–organic framework (MOF) is a new class of crystalline materials, and high porosity, one of the most important properties of MOFs, plays a central role in the functional properties. However, the investigation of MOFs, being employed as sorbents for adsorptive desulfurization, is still scarce. In this regard, we have constructed a new 3D porous compound 1 by using rigidly designed carboxylate ligands, which, for the first time, exhibit an unusual triple molecular necklace‐like helix. The N₂ sorption isotherms of 1 show that it has a large Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume. With the stable pore structure and appropriate pore sizes, compound 1 has been used as a sorbent for adsorptive desulfurization. The results indicate that compound 1 shows an excellent adsorption property and, more importantly, displays excellent stability, repeatability, and regenerability. Thus, the design and synthesis of targeted MOFs with appropriate pore size and increased interactions between organosulfur compounds and ligands/metals from MOFs is crucial for adsorptive desulfurization, which might be an effective guide to find an efficient and green adsorbent for desulfurization.     

Controllable Fabrication of Tungsten Oxide Nanoparticles Confined in Graphene‐Analogous Boron Nitride as an Efficient Desulfurization Catalyst

Tungsten oxide nanoparticles (WO_xNPs) are gaining increasing attention, but low stabiliity and poor dispersion of WO_xNPs hinder their catalytic applications. Herein, WO_xNPs were confined in graphene‐analogous boron nitride (g‐BN) by a one‐step, in situ method at high temperature, which can enhance the interactions between WO_xNPs and the support and control the sizes of WO_xNPs in a range of about 4–5 nm. The as‐prepared catalysts were applied in catalytic oxidation of aromatic sulfur compounds in which they showed high catalytic activity. A balance between the W loading and the size distribution of the WO_xNPs could govern the catalytic activity. Furthermore, a synergistic effect between g‐BN and WO_xNPs also contributed to high catalytic activity. The reaction mechanism is discussed in detail and the catalytic scope was enlarged.     

氧化-萃取脱除柴油中噻吩类硫化物研究进展

近年来针对柴油中噻吩类硫化物的脱除问题国内外进行了多种非加氢脱硫技术研究,其中氧化脱硫、萃取脱硫、氧化-萃取脱硫技术是研究较多、具有应用前景的脱硫方法。本文从柴油氧化-萃取脱除噻吩类硫化物的反应机理出发,重点概述了有机酸、酸酐催化体系、离子液体催化体系及分子筛催化体系氧化-萃取脱除噻吩类硫化物获得低硫柴油的最新研究成果,并提出了目前存在的问题及该领域未来的研究方向。     

Desulfurization of model and real fuels by extraction and oxidation processes using an indenylmolybdenum tricarbonyl pre-catalyst

Regulations on the permissible levels of sulfur in transportation fuels are becoming ever more strict, with a global shift towards “zero sulfur” fuels, and the revamp of existing hydrodesulfurization (HDS) facilities to meet these lower caps is cost-prohibitive. Metal-catalyzed sulfoxidation chemistry is viewed as an economically viable desulfurization strategy that could complement conventional HDS technology. In the present work, the complex [η⁵-IndMo(CO)₃Me] ( 1 ) (Ind = indenyl) was employed in the catalytic oxidative desulfurization (CODS) of model and real liquid fuels, using aqueous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as oxidant. After optimization of the CODS reaction parameters (diesel/H₂O₂ ratio, catalyst amount, temperature), a high-sulfur (2000 ppm) model diesel containing benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, 4-methyldibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene could be completely desulfurized within 2 hr under solvent-free conditions or in the presence of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF₆) as extraction solvent. The catalyst formed under solvent-free conditions could be recycled without a significant decrease in desulfurization activity. The high performance of the CODS system was verified in the sulfur removal from a commercial untreated diesel fuel with a sulfur content of 2300 ppm, and a jet fuel with a sulfur content of 1100 ppm. Solvent-free CODS in combination with initial/final extraction gave desulfurization efficiencies of 70% for the diesel fuel and 55% for the jet fuel. CODS with [BMIM]PF₆ in combination with initial/final extraction led to a sulfur removal of 95.9% for the diesel fuel, which is one of the best results yet reported for ODS of commercial diesels.     

渣油超临界萃取馏分中硫化物的分离富集研究

采用选择性氧化与色谱结合的方法分离渣油中的硫醚硫化物和噻吩硫化物,该法是基于不同类型硫的选择性氧化、氧化组分与未氧化组分间极性的差异实现的。首先用高碘酸四丁铵在不氧化噻吩硫的情况下将硫醚硫选择性氧化为高极性的亚砜,经色谱柱分离富集后,利用红外色谱和硫元素分析仪,研究了馏分中硫化物的类型分布。结果表明,在俄罗斯渣油中噻吩硫和硫醚硫的质量分数随组分变重均呈增长趋势,噻吩硫相对质量分数(指硫醚硫+噻吩硫)随馏分变重呈下降趋势,相对质量分数在70%以上,噻吩硫是俄罗斯渣油中硫的主要存在形态。     

吡啶离子液体催化作用下的FCC汽油烷基化脱硫

合成一种Brønsted酸性离子液体[BPY]HSO₄,采用红外光谱和核磁共振对其进行表征。以[BPY]HSO₄为催化剂,对FCC汽油进行烷基化脱硫,考察反应温度、反应时间和剂油质量比对脱硫效果的影响及脱硫前后FCC汽油性质的变化,并对[BPY]HSO₄进行了再生。结果表明,在反应温度为65 ℃、反应时间为90 min和剂油质量比为0.09的条件下,FCC汽油的硫含量从580.0 μg/g降至6.4 μg/g,脱硫率为98.90%,满足中国国Ⅴ车用汽油硫含量标准(<10 μg/g);脱硫前后硫分布变化表明,在[BPY]HSO₄的催化作用下,前170 ℃馏分油中硫化物大部分转移到后170 ℃重馏分中,重馏分中硫化物可采用加氢方法进行脱除;PONA组成变化表明,烷基化脱硫过程对FCC汽油的烃类组成影响较小,且脱硫前后辛烷值变化不大;[BPY]HSO₄经萃取再生后可循环使用。     

Effect of Cation Structure in Quinolinium-Based Ionic Liquids on the Solubility in Aromatic Sulfur Compounds or Heptane: Thermodynamic Study on Phase Diagrams

Experimental and theoretical studies on thermodynamic properties of quinolinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) based on bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion (namely N-butyl-quinoloinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [BQuin][NTf₂], N-hexylquinoloinium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide, [HQuin][NTf₂], and N-octylquinoloinium bis(trifluoromethyl-sulfonyl)imide, [OQuin][NTf₂]) with aromatic sulfur compounds and heptane, as a model compound of fuel were examined in order to assess the applicability of the studied ionic liquids for desulfurization of fuels. With this aim, the temperature-composition phase diagrams of 13 binary mixtures composed of organic sulfur compounds (thiophene, benzothiophene, or 2-methylthiophene) or heptane and ionic liquid (IL) were investigated at ambient pressure. A dynamic method was used to determine the (solid–liquid) equilibrium phase diagrams in binary systems over a wide composition range and temperature range from T = 255.15 to 365.15 K up to the fusion temperature of ILs. The immiscibility gap with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) was observed for each binary system under study. The influence of the alkane chain length of the substituent on the IL cation and of the sulfur compounds (the aromaticity of the solvent) was described. The experimental (solid + liquid) phase equilibrium dataset were successfully correlated using the well-known NRTL equation.     

液体燃料催化氧化脱硫

随着世界清洁燃料中含硫标准的不断提高，传统的加氢除硫方法面临的问题也更加严峻。在近年发展起来的非传统除硫新技术中，催化氧化脱硫技术的研究进展较快。本文介绍了催化氧化脱硫法这一新技术的理论基础及其基本原则，重点概述了近年来在液体燃料催化氧化法脱硫从而获得清洁燃料这一研究领域所取得的最新成果，并对该领域研究的发展方向进行了展望。     

Facile synthesis of inorganic–organic Fe2W18Fe4@NiO@CTS hybrid nanocatalyst induced efficient performance in oxidative desulfurization of real fuel

In this work, a new nanocatalyst, Fe₂W₁₈Fe₄@NiO@CTS, was synthesized by the reaction of sandwich‐type polyoxometalate (Fe₂W₁₈Fe₄), nickel oxide (NiO), and chitosan (CTS) via sol–gel method. The assembled nanocatalyst was systematically characterized by FT‐IR, UV–vis, XRD, SEM, and EDX analysis. The catalytic activity of Fe₂W₁₈Fe₄@NiO@CTS was tested on oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of real gasoline and model fuels. The experimental results revealed that the levels of sulfur content and mercaptan compounds of gasoline were lowered with 97% efficiency. Also, the Fe₂W₁₈Fe₄@NiO@CTS nanocatalyst demonstrated an outstanding catalytic performance for the oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in the model fuel. The major factors that influence the desulfurization efficiency and the kinetic study of the ODS reactions were fully detailed and discussed. The probable ODS pathway was proposed via the electrophilic mechanism on the basis of the electrophilic characteristic of the metal‐oxo‐peroxo intermediates. The prepared nanocatalyst could be reused for 5 successive runs without any appreciable loss in its catalytic activity. As a result, the current study suggested the potential application of the Fe₂W₁₈Fe₄@NiO@CTS hybrid nanocatalyst as an ideal candidate for removal of sulfur compounds from fuel.     

Desulfurization of sour crude oil using an invasive weed adsorbent: An efficient,eco-friendly,and ultra-low-cost option

Desulfurization is a technology commonly used by refineries to mitigate the environmental burden caused by toxic gas emissions from hydrocarbon fuels. Expanding global population will increase liquid fuel demand by 20% between 2018 and 2050, with a total consumption of 240 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2050. Conventional catalytic Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) accounts for high cost and severe operating conditions (high temperature, pressure, catalyst poisoning and H₂S safety). While studies have shown that adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) is highly effective in the removal of organic sulfur, limitations in the regeneration of adsorbent and selection of adsorbent with suitable structure to remove organic sulfur compounds exist. On the other hand, Prosopis juliflora, the world's most threatening invasive weed causes multifaceted environmental problems. The present study offers a novel solution that addresses both these issues contributing to climate change. Desulfurization of sour crude oil sample is performed using chemical-free, non-activated charcoal obtained from invasive weed species as adsorbent. XRD analysis showed amorphous structure and FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of CC bending functional group of the adsorbent. Adsorption-desorption isotherm showed presence of mesopores with pore diameter of 2.718 ?nm. Kinetic study findings reported 46% removal of total sulfur. GCMS findings showed efficient removal of some organic sulfur, including 100% removal of dibenzothiophene 4-methyl -. The equilibrium data is best represented by Freundlich isotherm. ICP-OES tests indicate the removal of toxic elements as well. The cost of the adsorbent is USD 0.12628 per kg, the lowest among all the adsorbents known thus far. The present study describes a novel, ultra-low cost, efficient, eco-friendly, desulfurization process that implements a chemical-free, non-activated adsorbent, achieves synergy, and offers multi-dimensional benefits to the environmental development. To our knowledge, this is the first study to characterize desulfurization of sour crude oil using an invasive weed.     

[BIm]Cl/CuCl离子液体脱除MTBE中硫醇机制及性能研究

以N-丁基咪唑、HCl和CuCl为原料两步法合成了离子液体[BIm]Cl/CuCl,并用傅里叶变换红外光谱FT-IR和傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱FT-ICR MS对其结构进行表征。采用差热扫描量热仪DSC、FT-IR以及紫外可见光谱UV-vis对吸附硫醇的[BIm]Cl/CuCl进行分析,讨论了[BIm]Cl/CuCl吸附硫醇的作用机制。以[BIm]Cl/CuCl为吸附剂,采用吸附蒸馏工艺脱除MTBE中的硫化物,MTBE硫含量可降低至5 μg/g以下,吸附剂进行多次循环使用且脱硫效果无明显降低。     

Towards N‐Alkylimidazole Borane‐based Hypergolic Fuels

Over the past few decades, toxic and highly volatile hydrazine derivatives have been the main fuel choices for liquid bipropellants, especially in traditional hypergolic rocket engines. The search for new hypergolic fuels as replacements for hydrazine derivatives is of great interest to researchers. In this study, a series of N‐alkylimidazole borane compounds has been synthesized and characterized. Interestingly, these compounds display promising applications as potential hypergolic fuels owing to their excellent physiochemical properties including low melting points, high thermal stability, low viscosities, and unique hypergolic reactivity. Compared with popular hypergolic ionic liquids, the cost‐effective and scaling‐up advantages of these materials highlight their promising potential as high‐performance fuels in liquid bipropellant formulations.     

Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y吸附剂的制备及其脱硫性能研究

采用液相离子交换Cu、Ce离子制备了Cu(I)-Y、Ce(IV)-Y和Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y吸附剂,利用XRD、BET等技术对吸附剂进行了表征。通过静态实验考察了制备条件对Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y吸附剂脱硫性能的影响,通过固定床实验研究了吸附剂的穿透硫容,同时,在含噻吩与苯并噻吩的正辛烷模拟油中,分别加入甲苯、环己烯、吡啶配成新的模拟油,探究了吸附剂的脱硫选择性。结果表明,离子交换时间48 h,焙烧温度550℃,Cu/Ce物质的量比1∶1下制备的Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y吸附剂具有适宜的脱硫活性。在含甲苯、环己烯模拟油中,Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y吸附剂具有最好的脱硫性能,相同浓度的甲苯、环己烯和吡啶对各吸附剂脱硫性能的影响顺序为吡啶环己烯甲苯。引入Cu+可改善吸附剂的脱硫活性,引入Ce4+可改善吸附剂对硫化物的选择性,Cu+和Ce4+的协同作用使Cu(I)-Ce(IV)-Y兼具有高的硫容和抗芳烃、烯烃能力。     

Efficient and Scalable Production of 2D Material Dispersions using Hexahydroxytriphenylene as a Versatile Exfoliant and Dispersant

Thin‐layer 2D materials have been attracting enormous interest, and various processes have been investigated to obtain these materials efficiently. In view of their practical applications, the most desirable source for the preparation of these thin‐layer materials is the pristine bulk materials with stacked layers, such as pristine graphite. There are many options in terms of conditions for the exfoliation of thin‐layer materials, and these include wet and dry processes, with or without additives, and the kind of solvent. In this context, we found that the versatile exfoliant hexahydroxytriphenylene works efficiently for the exfoliation of typical 2D materials such as graphene, MoS₂, and hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) by both wet and dry processes by using sonication and ball milling, respectively, in aqueous and organic solvents. As for graphene, stable dispersions with relatively high concentrations (up to 0.28 mg mL^?1) in water and tetrahydrofuran were obtained from graphite in the presence of hexahydroxytriphenylene by a wet process with the use of bath sonication and by a dry process involving ball milling. Especially, most of the graphite was exfoliated and dispersed as thin‐layer graphene in both aqueous and organic solvents through ball milling, even on a large scale (47–86 % yield). In addition, the exfoliant was easily removed from the precipitated composite by heat treatment without disturbing the graphene structure. Bulk MoS₂ and h‐BN were also exfoliated by both wet and dry processes. Similar to graphene, dispersions of MoS₂ and h‐BN of high concentrations in water and DMF were produced in high yields through ball milling.     

Photoinduced Reversible Solid‐to‐Liquid Transitions for Photoswitchable Materials

Heating and cooling can induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions of matter. In contrast, athermal photochemical processes can induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions of some newly developed azobenzene compounds. Azobenzene is photoswitchable. UV light induces trans‐to‐cis isomerization; visible light or heat induces cis‐to‐trans isomerization. Trans and cis isomers usually have different melting points (T_m) or glass transition temperatures (T_g). If T_m or T_g of an azobenzene compound in trans and cis forms are above and below room temperature, respectively, light may induce reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions. In this Review, we introduce azobenzene compounds that exhibit photoinduced reversible solid‐to‐liquid transitions, discuss the mechanisms and design principles, and show their potential applications in healable coatings, adhesives, transfer printing, lithography, actuators, fuels, and gas separation. Finally, we discuss remaining challenges in this field.     

A sulfur-tolerant Pd/CeO2 catalyst for methanol synthesis from syngas

The catalytic activity of ceria-supported Pd for selective hydrogenation of CO is well preserved in the presence of 30 ppm H2S due to the parallel oxidation of sulfur by CeO2 under standard methanol synthesis conditions. The bifunctional nature of this catalyst opens a route for the conversion of sulfur-contaminated gas streams such as the integrated gasification combined cycle syngas or biogas into liquid fuels if desulfurization by conventional means is not practical.     

NiY分子筛选择性吸附脱硫性能及作用机理

用液相离子交换法制备了NiY分子筛,并用XRD、TEM、ICP、N2吸附和吡啶吸附原位红外技术等表征手段对其进行了表征. 利用固定床、气相色谱-硫发光检测器（GC-SCD）及傅里叶红外光谱（FT-IR）等方法系统研究了NiY分子筛对噻吩、2-甲基噻吩、3-甲基噻吩、四氢噻吩、苯并噻吩、二苯并噻吩、4-甲基二苯并噻吩、4,6-二甲基二苯并噻吩8种有机硫化物的选择性吸附脱硫性能和吸附机理. 结果表明,NiY分子筛对硫化物的穿透吸附硫容量顺序为四氢噻吩﹥苯并噻吩≈二苯并噻吩≈4,6-二甲基二苯并噻吩﹥4-甲基二苯并噻吩﹥2-甲基噻吩≈3-甲基噻吩﹥噻吩,说明有机硫化物的空间位阻效应不是其在NiY分子筛上吸附的决定因素. 红外结果表明,不同硫化物与NiY分子筛的作用机理并不相同,但主要以硫原子与金属离子配位作用（S-M作用）为主. 噻吩及其烷基取代物在NiY吸附剂上表面酸性作用下发生催化反应,噻吩环的共轭体系遭到破坏形成硫化物大分子或聚合物,导致分子筛孔道的堵塞,严重影响吸附剂的吸附脱硫能力. NiY的选择性吸附脱硫性能是硫化物与吸附中心的作用模式及吸附剂表面酸性综合作用的结果.     

Residue Desulfurization: A Kinetic Model Approach

In the refining of petroleum residue, sulfur removal is an important objective to produce low sulfur fuel oil and to obtain a suitable feed for residue catalytic cracking. The increasing severity of sulfur specifications for fuels implies the optimization of heavy residue processes, which in turn requires improving knowledge on reaction mechanism. The goal of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of the reactions in the process desulfurization section and to develop a kinetic model. To carry out this, hydrotreatment pilot tests were performed on demetallized residues. The products were investigated using SEC, ¹³C NMR, liquid chromatography and elemental analyses.     

MOFs for desulfurization of fuel oil: Recent advances and future insights

Nowadays, desulfurization of fuel oil has raised concern globally because of strict industrial and environmental legislations. Albeit hydrodesulfurization (HDS) has been extensively used in oil refineries to produce low sulfur oil (< 10 ppm) but not been proven as effective method for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT), benzothiophene (TH) and their derivatives. Subsequently, adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) and oxidative desulfurization (ODS) methods have been developed to achieve high removal efficiency. In the past decade, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and its composites as oxidative catalysts, as well as adsorbents, have attracted the researchers owing to high surface area, tunable properties, and reusable. The present review comprises use of MOFs and their composites for the removal of sulfur from fuel oil via ODS and ADS processes. Additionally, physicochemical properties of MOFs, mechanism, pros and cons of both process, regeneration, and future challenges have been discussed briefly. Moreover, current limitations and future prospective are also discussed.