Three-Dimensional Graphene Oxide-Supported Zinc Oxide Scaffold as a High-Efficiency Adsorbent for Desulfurization

Abstract

Sulfur oxides are air pollutants derived mainly from the combustion of gasoline. Reducing the sulfur content of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline is of key importance for the prevention and control of atmospheric pollution. We describe herein the fabrication and characterization of a porous, three-dimensional (3D) graphene oxide-supported zinc oxide (GO/ZnO) scaffold as an adsorbent for desulfurization with various model compounds and real FCC gasoline. The uniform and stable dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles on the surface of GO facilitates the specific binding of sulfides. Moreover, GO synergistically adsorbs aryl sulfides via [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] stacking interactions. The GO/ZnO nanosheets were further self-assembled into a 3D porous scaffold that effectively trapped sulfides and inhibited desorption. These scaffolds exhibited excellent desulfurization performance with maximum sulfur capacity up to 29.73[Formula: see text]mg S/g. This work provides a novel perspective on the fabrication of high-efficiency adsorbents for gasoline pretreatment.