Encapsulation of Sandwich POM in MIL-101 as Efficient Oxidative Desulfurization Catalyst of DBT

This study shows the successful encapsulation of sandwich cobalt–tungsten polyoxomolybdate (Na 12 [WCo 3 (H 2 O) 2 (CoW 9 O 34 ) 2 ], abbreviated as CoWPOM) guest in mesoporous metal–organic framework MIL-101 host under static condition via a facile post-synthesis strategy. Several characterizations including powder XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM–EDS, UV–vis DRS, XRF, and low temperature N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherm demonstrate the incorporation and homogenous-distribution of the sandwich CoWPOM guests in cavities of the MIL-101 host. The CoWPOM@MIL-101 composite possesses a better synergistic effect, and it demonstrates an excellent oxidative desulfurization catalytic activity with the DBT removal of 98.1% and recyclability at least 5 times without obvious activity decrease. Graphical Abstract