Mo2C-induced acid site modulation on Ni-Mo dual-metal nanosheets boosts dehydroxylation activity in lignin valorization

Lignin, a three-dimensional network biopolymer, presents catalytic challenges due to its recalcitrant C(aryl)–O/C(aryl)–C bonds and diverse oxygen functionalities. To address this, we engineered Mo 2 C-decorated Ni-Mo bimetallic catalysts (Ni- Mo 2 C@NC-x) via dopamine-mediated self-assembly, achieving unprecedented 2D nanosheet architectures. The optimized Ni-Mo 2 [email protected] exhibited a 10.2-fold surface area enhancement (230.4 m 2 ·g⁻ 1 vs. 22.6 m 2 ·g⁻ 1 for Ni@NC), maximizing accessible active sites. The highly dispersed MoC 2 phase enhanced the graphitization degree, facilitated electron transfer while simultaneously increased Lewis and Brønsted acid densities. Furthermore, the Mo 2 C phase effectively enriched Mo 5+ species, which promoted selective cleavage of C–O and C–C bonds via oxygen vacancy generation. The synergistic interplay between the Mo 2 C phase and Ni metal centers achieved 95.69 % lignin oil conversion with 85.25 % cycloalkane selectivity. This work establishes a multifunctional catalyst design paradigm where tailored defect-acid cooperativity overcomes lignin depolymerization-deoxygenation trade-offs.