Sulfide catalysts supported on porous aromatic frameworks for naphthalene hydroprocessing

Abstract

This paper describes the first example of using porous aromatic frameworks as supports for sulfide catalysts for the hydrogenation of aromatic hydrocarbons. The synthesis of bimetallic Ni-W and Ni-Mo sulfides was performed by in situ decomposition of [(n-Bu)4N]2[Ni(MeS4)2] (Me = W, Mo) complexes, supported on mesoporous aromatic framework with a diamond-like structure. It is shown that the highest naphthalene conversions were achieved in the case of additional sulfidation with sulfur. After the reaction, catalysts were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The activity of synthesized catalysts has been studied using naphthalene as a model substrate. The materials used in this study were substantially active in hydrogenation and slightly in hydrocracking of naphthalene.