Microwave-induced activation of additional active edge sites on the MoS₂ surface for enhanced Hgᴼ capture

In recent years, significant effort has been made in the development of novel materials for the removal of mercury from coal-derived flue gas. In this research, microwave irradiation was adopted to induce the creation of additional active sites on the MoS₂ surface. The results showed that Hgᴼcapture...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhao, Haitao, Mu, Xueliang, Yang, Gang, Zheng, Chengheng, Sun, Chenggong, Gao, Xiang, Wu, Tao
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/44187/
Description
Summary:In recent years, significant effort has been made in the development of novel materials for the removal of mercury from coal-derived flue gas. In this research, microwave irradiation was adopted to induce the creation of additional active sites on the MoS₂ surface. The results showed that Hgᴼcapture efficiency of the adsorbent containing MoS₂ nanosheets being microwave treated was as high as 97%, while the sample prepared via conventional method only showed an efficiency of 94% in its first 180 min testing. After the adsorbent was treated by microwave irradiation for 3 more times, its mercury removal efficiency was still noticeably higher than that of the sample prepared via conventional method. Characterization of surface structure of the MoS₂ containing material together with DFT study further revealed that the (001) basal planes of MoS₂ crystal structure were cracked into (100) edge planes (with an angle of approximately 75◦) under microwave treatment, which subsequently resulted in the formation of additional active edge sites on the MoS₂ surface and led to the improved performance on Hgᴼ capture.