A β-d-glucose pentaacetate derivative as an efficient phase selective gelator for oil spill recovery

Abstract

As a β-D-glucose derivative, compound 1 with a triazole group has been developed and used in oil spill recovery at room temperature within one minute. Compound 1 can efficiently solidify oil into oleogel, especially can solidify DMS at 0.09 wt%, and can exhibit solid mechanical strength and stability for a dozen days in different environments. Compound 1 can selectively solidify oil into opaque oleogel in less than a minute when it is dissolved in CHCl₃, and the opaque oleogel can be easily scooped out of the aqueous surface with a spoon at room temperature. The advantages of easy-to-implement performance, highly efficient phase selectivity, and excellent oil recovery from oil–aqueous mixtures indicate that compound 1 has potential and promising prospects in applications in oil spill recovery.