Functionalization of SBA-15 with CeO₂ nanoparticles for adsorptive desulfurization: Matters of template P123

Adsorption is one of the most promising methods for desulfurization of transportation fuels, due to the strategy which enables removal of organic sulfur compounds to be conducted at ambient conditions with high efficiency. Adsorbent is the key to the adsorptive performance. Both π complexation and direct sulfur metal bonds are efficient methods for adsorptive desulfurization. For construction of these bonds, it is necessary to introduce active metal species on the support. In this work, Ce(NO₃)₂ was directly introduced into the as-synthesized SBA-15, and high dispersion of CeO₂ nanoparticles was obtained. With the loading content of 12–46 wt%, the particle sizes of the CeO₂ NPs are in the range of 4.4–6.3 nm. The good dispersion status of CeO₂ nanoparticles is contributed to the template P123 preserved in as-synthesized SBA-15, which provides a confined space for the dispersion of CeO₂ nanoparticles. However, the large CeO₂ particles (7.0 nm) are formed for the sample originated from template-free SBA-15. We also demonstrate that the adsorptive performance of SBA-15 is enhanced with the modification of CeO₂ nanoparticles. Besides, the performances of CeO₂ nanoparticle-modified samples stay in step with the dispersion status of the CeO₂ nanoparticles.