Monodispersed dendritic mesoporous silica/carbon nanospheres with enhanced active site accessibility for selective adsorptive desulfurization

Monodispersed dendritic mesoporous silica/carbon nanospheres (DMS/CNs) with adjustable particle sizes and carbon contents have been controllably fabricated via a facile oil–water biphase stratification approach combined with an in situ carbonization of surfactant template strategy. The obtained materials were utilized as adsorbents for the adsorptive desulfurization of dibenzothiophene, and the results showed that the adsorbent with the smaller particle size and larger pore size had a faster adsorption equilibrium and DMS/CNs with the higher carbon contents exhibited better sulfur adsorption capacity. This might be because the carbon substrate deposited on the mesoporous channels could alter the textural and chemical properties of materials and thus could improve the adsorptive performance. Moreover, DMS/CNs with the unique center-radial pore structure and large surface area were favorable for the incorporation of active metals, and the adsorptive capacity and selectivity could be greatly enhanced after the incorporation of AgNO₃. The superior adsorptive performance might result from a good combination of its unique pore channels and a synergistic effect between carbon substrate and silver species.