Thiophene hydrodesulfurization activity of MoS2/Al2O3 catalysts prepared via exfoliation. The effect of cobalt

In contrast to the bulk MoS₂, the structure of the active phase of the catalyst prepared via exfoliation is shown to exhibit a number of distortions, which form a superstructure of the type of the charge density waves with a quasi-period of 30 ?. Due to such distortions, the ions of cobalt firmly chemisorb on the basal plane of MoS₂ occupying, along the perimeter of the MoS₂ clusters, the regions with a lower energy of the Mo-S interaction. A synergetic increase in the catalyst activity due to the introduction of cobalt was observed up to the atomic ratios of Co/(Co+Mo) = 0.33, which is possible for the nanoparticles of MoS₂ with a diameter 200 ?, only if cobalt adsorbs on the basal plane. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.