Fabrication of MoS₂/h-BN Heterojunctions to Tune Interfacial Electronic Properties for Enhanced Oxidative Desulfurization

Oxidative desulfurization (ODS) is one of the most promising processes for producing clean fuels to meet the requirements for the clean use of fossil fuels. In this study, a MoS₂/h-BN heterojunction was synthesized using the chemical vapor deposition method, leading to a modified electronic structure at the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy suggested the occurrence of interfacial electronic reorganization and enhanced charge transfer efficiency due to the formation of a well-defined heterojunction. Hydrogenation temperature-programmed reduction revealed a strong interaction between h-BN and MoS₂, which contributed to the highly efficient performance of the heterojunction for ODS applications. As a result, although h-BN showed very low ODS activity, its catalytic activity was enhanced so much and even comparable to that of pure MoS₂ after loading with only 1.7 wt % MoS₂ on h-BN to construct MoS₂/h-BN heterojunctions.