LAUSR

In this work, the effect of ZrO2 particle size on the surficial and structural properties and catalytic performance of Mo-based catalysts towards sulfur-resistant methanation was investigated. The results showed that the catalytic activity correlated closely with the particle size of ZrO2. The supports and catalysts were characterized by N2-adsorption, XRD, Raman, H2-TPR and TEM to obtain the information about their morphology and structure in order to understand the structure–activity relationship. The results evidence that smaller ZrO2 particle not only had higher surface area which was beneficial for the dispersion of surface Mo species, but also weaken the interaction between MoO3 and support. Since them, ZrO2 support with small particle size favors the formation of monolayer MoS2 with short length. Catalytic activity evaluation determined that MoS2/ZrO2 catalyst with smaller ZrO2 particle size exhibited higher catalytic activity of sulfur-resistant CO methanation due to more edge sites on MoS2.Graphical Abstract