Carbon nitride used as a reactive template to prepare mesoporous molybdenum sulfide and nitride

Carbon nitride C(3)N(4) has been used as a sacrificial template to prepare inorganic materials with hierarchical pore structure. C(3)N(4) impregnated with ammonium heptamolybdate was treated in reactive gas mixtures (H(2)S/H(2) or NH(3)/H(2)). This approach allowed mesoporous molybdenum sulfide and molybdenum nitride materials to be obtained that replicate the morphology of the C(3)N(4) template. Advantageous catalytic properties have been demonstrated in the thiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The highest rates in both reactions were observed for partially sulfidized Mo(2)N solid.