Porous ionic liquids for oxidative desulfurization influenced by electrostatic solvent effect.

[Display omitted] • A novel type of PILs has been fabricated. • PILs integrate the permanent pores of porous solids with the exceptional properties of ILs. • PILs possess high activity and selectivity for the DBT oxidation. • IL moiety serves as an extractant to enrich DBT and creates an electrostatic solvent effect. • UiO-66 moiety serves as a catalysis to handily catalyze the ODS reaction. Developing a highly efficient strategy for the stabilization of the solid-liquid interface is a persistent pursuit for researchers. Herein, porous ionic liquids based on UiO-66 (Zr) porous materials were synthesized and applied to the selective desulfurization catalysis, which integrates the permanent pores of porous solids with the exceptional properties of ionic liquids. Results show that porous ionic liquids possess high activity and selectivity for dibenzothiophene. Experimental analysis and density functional theory calculations revealed that the ionic liquids moiety served as an extractant to enrich dibenzothiophene into the porous ionic liquids phase through the π···π and C H···π interactions. Additionally, the electrostatic solvent effect in the porous ionic liquids contributes to the stabilization solid-liquid interface, which was favorable for UiO-66 moiety to catalytically activate hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) to generate ·OH radicals, and subsequently oxidized dibenzothiophene to the corresponding sulfone. It is hoped that the development of porous ionic liquids could pave a new route to the stabilization of the solid-liquid interface for catalytic oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]