Facile synthesis of iron phosphide Fe 2 P nanoparticle and its catalytic performance in thiophene hydrodesulfurization

Nanosized iron phosphide (Fe 2 P) was successfully synthesized under mild solvothermal conditions with environmental-friendly raw materials. The key synthetic parameters including the molar ratios of Fe/P in initial mixture, the solvothermal treatment temperature, and duration were systematically investigated, and the samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. These measurements indicated that the nanoparticles are pure Fe 2 P with an average particle size of about 20 nm. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of the as-synthesized Fe 2 P/ZSM-5 in thiophene hydrodesulfurization was tested. The results showed that the desulfurization efficiency of thiophene can reach up to 88 % after 3 h with a stable catalytic activity during the whole examination process.