Surfactant‐directed Pd‐nanoparticle assemblies as efficient nanoreactors for water remediation

Abstract

Devising new catalytic systems for the efficient removal of organic chlorides from contaminated sites has important benefits for the human health. Efficiency requires the use of performing catalysts and the extraction of the contaminant from the environment. Here we describe a novel strategy that combines both aspects. A one‐pot surfactant‐directed approach allows the preparation of ultrafine palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) finely dispersed inside well‐ordered geometric structures, ranging from loose vesicles to nanocubes, from cylindrical to spherical assemblies. These assemblies work as nanoreactors where hydrophobic organic chlorides can be concentrated in the surfactant‐tail environment and efficiently reduced by the PdNP catalysts. As a proof‐of‐concept, we studied the dechlorination of the notorious pollutant 4‐chlorophenol. The nanoreactors display rapid dechlorination ability, excellent catalytic activity, and good stability and recyclability. This study provides a new methodology for effective water remediation that combines the advantages of both extraction and supported heterogeneous catalysis.

Reversible Self-Assembly/Regulation of pH-Responsive Poly(ester-palladium) to Create New Catalytic Nanoreactors for Efficient Reduction of Nitrophenol

“…The high catalytic activity of this system was attributed to the polymersome that functioned as a catalytic nanoreactor, which could simultaneously concentrate the Pd nanocatalyst and reactant species (e.g., 4-NP and atomic hydrogen). ,, The hydrophobic nature of 4-NP enabled them to be accumulated and dissolved in the amphiphilic nanoreactor through hydrophobic interaction and further enhanced their accessibility by the nearby PdNPs, greatly facilitating the electron and hydrogen transfers in the system . This has been validated in our previous work .…”

“…11,14,28 The hydrophobic nature of 4-NP enabled them to be accumulated and dissolved in the amphiphilic nanoreactor through hydrophobic interaction and further enhanced their accessibility by the nearby PdNPs, greatly facilitating the electron and hydrogen transfers in the system. 60 This has been validated in our previous work. 60 To support this assertion, two control tests were carried out.…”

“…60 This has been validated in our previous work. 60 To support this assertion, two control tests were carried out. One was conducted with the addition of H40-COOH and NaBH 4 and no conversion of 4-NP was found, suggesting the catalytic role of Pd NPs.…”

Ni nanoparticles‐loaded ZnO nanowire as an efficient and stable catalyst for reduction of 4‐nitrophenol

“…Rapid industrialization brings huge challenges to environment, especially in terms of pollutant emissions, for example, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), which is a common hazardous waste, has high degree of carcinogenic risk to human. [1][2][3][4][5] It has been listed in the blacklist of priority-controlled pollutants by many environmental organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States and the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre. The 4-NP is excellently soluble in water, extremely stable, and hardly biodegradable in environment, thus its wastewater treatment has become an urgent problem to be solved in modern society.…”

Cell Sheet‐Like Soft Nanoreactor Arrays

“…To achieve an inward Pd growth onto nanoframes, it was crucial for all the chemical species present in the growth solution to diffuse through the PS membrane into the PEN reactors. According to the literature, [ 20–22 ] the Pd precursor forms complexes with the CTAB surfactant in the growth solution (Section IV, Supporting Information). It is likely that the diffusion of these bulky complexes through the PS membrane was the rate‐determining step for the entire Pd deposition reaction.…”