Catalytic Properties of Synthetic MoS2 of Varying Surface Areas

Molybdenum sulfide catalysts of varying surface areas were prepared by thermal decomposition of MoS3 at 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500°. The surface areas has been found to be strongly dependent on the rate of heating suggesting a competition between the rate of nucleation and that of sintering of MoS2. The specific activities toward thiophene hydrodesulfuration and cyclohexene hydrogenation have been studied and their complementary trends have been attributed to the presence of at least two active centers. The catalytic properties and the variable surface area values found for the MoS3-MoS2 system have been correlated to X-Ray and analytical data.