Preparation of mesoporous Cs-POM@MOF-199@MCM-41 under two different synthetic methods for a highly oxidesulfurization of dibenzothiophene.

Two different synthetic methods, the direct method and the substitution method, were used to synthesize the Cs-POM@MOF-199@MCM-41 (Cs-PMM), in which the modified heteropolyacid with cesium salt has been encapsulated into the pores with the mixture of MOF and MCM-41. The structural properties of the as-prepared catalysts were characterized using various analytical techniques: powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XPS and BET, confirming that the Cs-POM active species retained its Keggin structure after immobilization. The substitution method of Cs-PMM exhibited more excellent catalytic performance for oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene in the presence of oxygen. Under optimal conditions, the DBT conversion rate reached up to 99.6% and could be recycled 10 times without significant loss of catalytic activity, which is mainly attributed to the slow leaching of the active heteropolyacid species from the strong fixed effect of the mixture porous materials.