Developing catalysts with optimized surface properties
is significant
for advanced catalysis. Herein, a rational architectural design is
proposed to successfully synthesize yolk–shell nickel molybdate
with abundant oxygen vacancies (YS-VO-NMO) via an acid-assisted
defect engineering strategy. Notably, YS-VO-NMO with the
yolk–shell structure shows complex nanoconfined interior space,
which is beneficial to the mass transfer and active sites exposure.
Moreover, the defect engineering strategy is of great importance to
modulate the surface electronic structure and atomic composition,
which contributes to the enrichment of oxygen vacancies. Benefiting
from these features, the higher hydrogen peroxide activation is achieved
by YS-VO-NMO to produce more hydroxyl radicals compared
with untreated nickel molybdate. Consequently, the defect-engineered
YS-VO-NMO not only features superior catalytic activity
(99.5%) but also retains high desulfurization efficiency after recycling
eight times. This manuscript provides new inspiration for designing
more promising defective materials via defect engineering and architecture
for different applications besides oxidative desulfurization.