Quasi-Single-Layer MoS₂ on MoS₂/TiO₂ Nanoparticles for Anthracene Hydrogenation

Developing highly dispersed few stacking layer MoS₂ nanocatalysts with high exposure of active sites is still a challenge in improving their catalytic activities. Herein, we report a facile strategy for fabricating quasi-single-layer (<3 layers) MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocatalysts by a novel one-step hydrothermal method using ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATM) and P25 (TiO₂) as Mo precursor and highly dispersed supporter, respectively. MoS₂ nanosheets on MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocatalysts with the quasi-single layer and slab of less than 10 nm expose maximum active sites of the catalytic anthracene hydrogenation. The results of the catalytic anthracene hydrogenation in slurry-bed reactor show that the quasi-single-layer MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocatalyst exhibits optimized catalytic hydrogenation performance with the selectivity to deep hydrogenation product (AH8) of 51% and hydrogenation percentage of 41.4%, which were respectively about 5.7 times and twice those of unsupported MoS₂ catalyst. The outstanding catalytic activity of anathracene hydrogenation over the resultant quasi-single-layer MoS₂/TiO₂ can be ascribed to the superior structures of MoS₂/TiO₂ nanocatalysts. The uniform loading of quasi-single-layer MoS₂ nanosheets onto the TiO₂ can remarkably enhance the exposure of active sites and effectively avoid the self-aggregation of MoS₂ nanosheets.