title: A mesoporous silica nanocomposite shuttle: pH-triggered phase transfer between oil and water.
abstract: With a simple protocol, we synthesize a novel mesoporous silica nanocomposite shuttle that can reversibly transfer between an organic phase and water in response to the pH, due to the switchable surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity. Our synthesis protocol allows the phase transfer ability to be tuned in a controllable fashion. This nanocomposite shuttle exhibits a good ability to load various cargoes such as Pd(OAc)2, Pd nanoparticles, and organic molecules. The built-in properties of the nanocomposite shuttle lay the foundations for many innovative applications. As a proof of concept, we successfully demonstrate its application in separating and recycling Pd nanoparticle catalysts. The composite shuttle can take Pd nanoparticles to an organic phase for catalyzing hydrogenation of olefins and come back to an aqueous phase at the end of reaction, making in situ separation and recycling of nanocatalysts possible. This pH-driven round trip for catalysis can be repeated several times. Our investigations not only supply a novel nanocomposite shuttle with controllable properties but also open an innovative avenue to in situ separation and recycling of nanocatalysts, which can address the obstacles of the conventional methods such as centrifugation and filtration.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, P R China.
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hengquan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Huanrong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hongchuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xin
mesh_terms: D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006865:Hydrogenation; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000475:Alkenes; D014867:Water; D010165:Palladium; D012822:Silicon Dioxide