Layered nanocomposites based on molybdenum disulfide and hydroxy-Al, Cr and CrAl oligocations: Characterization and catalytic activity in benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexane Original Research Article

Layered nanocomposites were prepared utilizing the exfoliation and restacking properties of LixMoS2 under mild conditions and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and BET surface measurements. The intercalated hydroxy-Al, Cr and mixed CrAl oligocations made the MoS2 host have interlayer expansions of 5.86–8.86 Å. The less steric hindrance and the elevated ratio of rim to edge sites make the as-prepared molybdenum disulfide composites have good catalytic activity in the benzene hydrogenation into cyclohexane. It has been shown that a material with good crystallinity exhibits good durability in the reaction.