A Phytic Acid Induced Super-Amphiphilic Multifunctional 3D Graphene-Based Foam

Surfaces with super‐amphiphilicity have attracted tremendous interest for fundamental and applied research owing to their special affinity to both oil and water. It is generally believed that 3D graphenes are monoliths with strongly hydrophobic surfaces. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of a 3...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2016-03, Vol.55 (12), p.3936-3941
Main Authors: Song, Xinhong, Chen, Yiying, Rong, Mingcong, Xie, Zhaoxiong, Zhao, Tingting, Wang, Yiru, Chen, Xi, Wolfbeis, Otto S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3D graphene foams
Alkenes
Catalysts
Epoxidation
Graphene
heterogeneous catalysis
Hydrophobicity
Intelligence
Oils & fats
Phytic acid
super-amphiphilic
Zeolites
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Summary:Surfaces with super‐amphiphilicity have attracted tremendous interest for fundamental and applied research owing to their special affinity to both oil and water. It is generally believed that 3D graphenes are monoliths with strongly hydrophobic surfaces. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of a 3D super‐amphiphilic (that is, highly hydrophilic and oleophilic) graphene‐based assembly in a single‐step using phytic acid acting as both a gelator and as a dopant. The product shows both hydrophilic and oleophilic intelligence, and this overcomes the drawbacks of presently known hydrophobic 3D graphene assemblies. It can absorb water and oils alike. The utility of the new material was demonstrated by designing a heterogeneous catalytic system through incorporation of a zeolite into its amphiphilic 3D scaffold. The resulting bulk network was shown to enable efficient epoxidation of alkenes without prior addition of a co‐solvent or stirring. This catalyst also can be recovered and re‐used, thereby providing a clean catalytic process with simplified work‐up. A super‐amphiphilic 3D graphene‐based foam was prepared through a single‐step approach using phytic acid, which acts as both a gelator and a dopant. The product shows 0° contact angle for both oil and water. The graphene foam was impregnated with a catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes and then showed very high catalytic efficiency even in the absence of a co‐solvent and without need for stirring.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201511064