Composite surfactants aided solvothermal synthesis and catalytic hydrogenation property of oil soluble bimetallic CoMoS nanoparticles

Oil-soluble bimetallic CoMoS nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a composite-surfactants-aided-solvothermal process. The surface hydrophilicity and functionality of the products were investigated through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, and Ultraviolet (UV) spectra analysis. The catalytic performance of hydrogenation on the CoMoS nanoparticles was studied with naphthalene as a model compound. It was found that CoMoS catalysts supported on active carbon (AC) was more active than conventional MoS2/γ-Al2O3. The activity of CoMoS/AC can be tailored through the change of the Co/(Co+Mo) atomic ratio.