Fabrication of MoS2 microflowers for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene

Abstract MoS2 microflowers with the size of 3.9–5.8 μm in diameter, which is constructed by nanosheets, are hydrothermally synthesized using sodium diethyldithiocarbamate trihydrate as the sulfur source. Studies on the hydrothermal process reveal that the temperature plays crucial roles in determining the crystal phase of MoS2. It is found that the higher temperature favors the reduction of Mo (VI) to Mo (IV). The obtained MoS2 microflowers are highly active and selective for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene into aniline. Compared with commercial MoS2, the higher percentage of coordinative unsaturated Mo sites on MoS2 microflowers offer a relatively higher catalytic activity.