Creating Edge Sites within the Basal Plane of a MoS2 Catalyst for Substantially Enhanced Hydrodeoxygenation Activity

A two-dimensional MoS2 catalyst uses edge sites for catalytic activity while its basal plane remains inert in heterogeneous catalysis. To significantly boost the intrinsic activity of MoS2, a metal insertion–deinsertion procedure was developed to prepare Pt–MoS2–x catalysts. Of which, Pt4+ partially substituted Mo4+ in the basal plane of 1T-MoS2–x and then Pt was deinserted from the basal plane after reduction and finally located at the neighborhood of its original position, where abundant edge sites were created and rich Pt–edge interfaces were formed in the “inert” basal plane of MoS2. This Pt–MoS2–x exhibited high activity in hydrodeoxygenation of p-cresol, presenting in 100% oxygen removal at a low temperature of 120 °C and almost no sulfur loss nor deactivation in recycling runs. A Pt–MoS2–x catalyst was also efficient in hydrodeoxygenation of diverse lignin model compounds and lignin-derived bio-oil. This methodology opens up an innovative strategy for the design of robust MoS2 catalysts featuring the activation of the basal plane and provides an energy-efficient alternative for the upgradation of raw bio-oil.