Synthesis of metallic Ni-Co/graphene catalysts with enhanced hydrodesulfurization activity via a low-temperature plasma approach

• Graphene sheets (GS) supported metallic Ni(Co) nanoparticles have been fabricated.
• H2-DBD plasma reduction is beneficial to the formation of well-disperse Ni(Co)/GS.
• The enhanced catalytic activity for the HDS of COS is achieved on bimetal Ni-Co/GS.
• The synergetic effect between Ni and Co active components has been demonstrated.

Graphene sheets (GS) supported monometal (Ni, Co) or bimetal (Ni-Co) nanoparticle composites have been conveniently prepared with the assistance of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at low temperature. Both graphene oxide and the metal ions (Ni2+, Co2+) can be simultaneously reduced during the DBD plasma treatment in H2 atmosphere, which gives rise to the uniformly distributed metal nanoparticles on the surface of GS. The graphene-based catalysts are used in the catalytic hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of carbonyl sulfide (COS). It is revealed that the bimetallic Ni-Co/GS catalyst exhibits outstanding performance for higher COS conversion compared with the monometal catalysts, suggesting the synergetic effect between Ni and Co active species in the HDS reaction. The presented strategy demonstrates a new pathway for the preparation of graphene-based catalysts with high HDS catalytic performance.

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