Zr-intercalated molybdenum disulfide: preparation, characterization and catalytic activity in nitrobenzene hydrogenation

Layered composites, Zr-intercalated MoS2, have been 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. It showed the formation of two distinct products depending on the employed Zr:MoS2 reaction stoichiometry. The interlayer expansions of about 4.4 Å and 9.2 Å suggested mono- or bi-layer arrangements of the hydroxyl–Zr oligocations into the interlayer galleries between the MoS2 host layers. The composites exhibit good catalytic activities in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene into aniline, due to their intercalated structures and great specific surface areas.