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

Carbon nitride C 3 N 4 has been used as a sacrificial template to prepare inorganic materials with hierarchical pore structure. C 3 N 4 impregnated with ammonium heptamolybdate was treated in reactive gas mixtures (H 2 S/H 2 or NH 3 /H 2 ). This approach allowed mesoporous molybdenum sulfide and molybdenum nitride materials to be obtained that replicate the morphology of the C 3 N 4 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 Mo 2 N solid.