Binary solvent-mediated modulation of two-dimensional nanoconfined catalytic behaviors.

Inspired by natural enzymes, the fabricated two-dimensional graphene oxide-based membrane reactors offer promising nanoconfined catalytic ability and mass transfer efficiency. Interestingly, for the ring-opening reaction of styrene oxide with aniline as the model reaction, abrupt modulation of nanoconfined catalytic behaviors was found by introducing binary solvents into the membrane reactors. In detail, in a binary solvent composed of ethanol and another solvent, the conversion dropped abruptly from ≈100% to less than 1% with a very small decrease in ethanol content in a certain range. Synergistic coordination of multiple physicochemical factors was explored to explain this novel modulation of nanoconfined catalytic behaviors.