Taming electronic properties of boron nitride nanosheets as metal-free catalysts for aerobic oxidative desulfurization of fuels

Taming the electronic structure of a catalyst is an efficient strategy for optimizing catalytic activity. Herein, we explored a concept of incorporating a carbon atom into a hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) matrix by employing the ionic liquid precursor to form a ternary metal-free borocarbonitride (BCN) material. The derived catalyst displayed excellent catalytic performance for the oxidative desulfurization (ODS) reaction. Total sulfur removal can be achieved at 100 degrees C and atmospheric pressure. It was discovered that the doped carbon atoms improved the electron delocalization effect, thus facilitating the activation of molecular oxygen. The catalyst also shows satisfactory regenerative performance. We believe that this study would open up a new path to design stable and effective metal-free catalysts for low temperature aerobic catalysis.