Ni2P clusters on zeolite nanosheet assemblies with high activity and good stability in the hydrodesulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene

•Crystalline mordenite nanosheet assembles (NS-MOR) were successfully synthesized.•The NS-MOR has large external surface area and abundant micro–mesoporous.•Small Ni2P clusters with high dispersion were formed on the NS-HMOR.•The Ni2P/NS-HMOR catalyst exhibits high HDS activity and good stability.

Developing highly active hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts is very important for ultraclean fuel production. Here, we report the successful preparation of crystalline mordenite nanosheet assemblies (NS-HMOR) with large external surface area and micro–mesoporous structure. After introduction of nickel and phosphorus species into NS-HMOR and its activation, the obtained Ni2P/NS-HMOR catalyst exhibits higher HDS activity (TOF = 1.9 × 10−3 s−1) and better stability in 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene HDS than a silica-supported Ni2P catalyst (TOF = 1.3 × 10−3 s−1). The large number of acidic hydroxyl groups on the NS-HMOR surface facilitates the formation of very small Ni2P clusters on the outer surface, and the open micropores at the NS-HMOR surface help to prevent their aggregation.

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