Revealing the existence of long-range liquid-liquid interfacial potential in phase-transfer processes
By employing fluorescence wide-field microscopy and a nanoparticle-based phase transfer catalyst (PTC), consisting of a fluorescent silica nanoparticle functionalized with trioctylpropylammonium bromide, we demonstrate that in the presence of NaOH, single nanoparticles display subdiffusive motion al...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179263 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | By employing fluorescence wide-field microscopy and a nanoparticle-based phase transfer catalyst (PTC), consisting of a fluorescent silica nanoparticle functionalized with trioctylpropylammonium bromide, we demonstrate that in the presence of NaOH, single nanoparticles display subdiffusive motion along the axis normal to an aqueous liquid-organic liquid interface. This is because of an extended interfacial potential with a shallow well (∼1 kBT) that stretches a few μm into the organic phase, in contrast to previous molecular dynamics studies that reported narrow interfaces on the order of ∼1 nm. Spontaneous interfacial emulsification induced by NaOH results in the propagation of water-in-oil nanoemulsions into the organic solvent that creates an equilibrium hybrid-solvent composition that solvates the PTC. A greater mobility and longer residence time of the PTC at the potential well enhance the interfacial phase transfer process and catalytic efficiency. |
|---|