Magnetic-responsive Pickering emulsion and its catalytic application at the water–oil interface

Abstract

We developed a novel strategy to fabricate a magnetic-responsive Pickering emulsion for more effectively and controllably biphase catalysis reactions. The Pickering emulsions were stabilized by magnetite/reduced graphene oxide/Pd (MRGO–Pd) nanocomposite patches. The MRGO–Pd nanocomposite patches at the oil/water interfaces showed excellent catalytic activity towards the oxidation of Sudan-4 and hydrogenation of 4-NT. This system effectively degraded the Sudan-4 (or converted the 4-NT to 4-Tol) with a yield as high as 90% after 10 repeated reuses. For the same reaction, the MRGO–Pd nanocomposite was cycled 8 times, and the catalyst loss was negligible. The developed Pickering emulsion system has a great potential in the field of catalysis.