Hydrotalcite-derived Ni–Cu highly dispersed nanoalloy catalysts for promoting low temperature rapid dehydrogenation of dodecahydro-N-ethylcarbazole

12H-NECZ (dodecahydro-N-ethylcarbazole), a promising liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) with high H₂ capacity, stability, and low dehydrogenation temperature, requires efficient low-cost dehydrogenation catalysts for industrial-scale application. In this work, NiCuAl-LDH-R (hydrotalcite-derived NiCu bimetallic catalyst) with rosette-like two-dimensional structures and highly dispersed NiCu alloys are prepared for the dehydrogenation reaction of 12H-NECZ. The addition of Cu to NiAl-LDH-R can significantly reduce the reaction temperature while achieving rapid dehydrogenation. Among the NiCuAl-LDH-R catalysts, the Ni₇CuAl-LDH-R exhibited the highest dehydrogenation performance with 100 % dehydrogenation efficiency and 100 % selectivity of NECZ at 180 °C within 4h (12H-NECZ/catalyst mass ratio = 15:1). The electronic and geometric effects of Ni and Cu, excellent dispersion of NiCu alloy, strong metal carrier interaction between NiCu alloy and AlOx, as well as the rich alkalinity synergistically contributes to the catalyst's exceptional dehydrogenation activity. The cost-effective nonprecious catalyst, with tunable morphology/composition and excellent performance, shows great potential for 12H-NECZ dehydrogenation applications.