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

Carbon nitride C₃N₄ has been used as a sacrificial template to prepare inorganic materials with hierarchical pore structure. C₃N₄ impregnated with ammonium heptamolybdate was treated in reactive gas mixtures (H₂S/H₂ or NH₃/H₂). This approach allowed mesoporous molybdenum sulfide and molybdenum nitride materials to be obtained that replicate the morphology of the C₃N₄ 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 Mo₂N solid.