Facile preparation of decavanadate-based poly (ionic liquids) for efficient aerobic oxidative desulfurization

Due to the increased concern on the environmental issues, the desulfurization process in fuel is of great importance in the recent decades. Herein, a series of decavanadate-based poly (ionic liquids) with varied substituents were successfully prepared by a facile ion exchange method, which were employed in aerobic oxidative desulfurization of aromatic sulfides. The prepared samples can achieve deep desulfurization on different aromatic sulfides under optimal reaction conditions. Additionally, the experimental results indicated that the long carbon chains in the imidazole ring could hinder the ion exchange process between decavanadate and PILs due to steric hindrance effect, resulting in the poor desulfurization activity. Finally, a possible reaction mechanism was proposed according to the results of XPS, ESR and GC–MS analysis.