Phosphomolybdic acid immobilized on ionic liquid-modified hexagonal boron nitride for oxidative desulfurization of fuelElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7ra10697a

Hexagonal boron nitride supported catalysts have been well-developed in catalytic desulfurization, but struggle from the drain of catalytically active sites. Herein, an ionic liquid functionalized BN is constructed for stabilization of catalytic sites (phosphomolybdic acid, HPMo). A stable and well-dispersed supported catalyst was successfully obtained, which was confirmed by a series of characterizations. Detailed oxidative desulfurization experiments showed that the IL-induced high dispersity of the HPMo indicated a promising catalytic performance; meanwhile, the IL-assisted stability dominated an enhanced recycling performance. Additionally, the satisfying catalyst exhibited an excellent catalytic activity to numerous sulfur compounds and a fine resistance to interferents. Moreover, the possible reaction process was studied by GC-MS. An ionic liquid modified hexagonal boron nitride was developed for preparation of a supported catalyst with enhanced stability and excellent catalytic performance in catalytic oxidative desulfurization.