Intrinsically Amphiphilic Zeolite with Low Morphological Anisotropy.

This work investigates the formation of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions stabilized by pure-silica Beta zeolite without surface grafting. In comparison with previous intrinsic amphiphilic zeolite reports, i.e., layer and fibrous morphology, highly dispersed nanosized spherical morphology endows Beta zeolite with excellent Pickering emulsion stabilization performance. Moreover, the zeolite channel is essential to make the particle lipophilic. In addition to the hydrophilic surface silanol, amphiphilicity is achieved, which is essential to stabilize Pickering emulsions. Subsequently, palladium nanoparticles were deposited on the Beta zeolite, successfully catalyzing the hydrogenation of nitroarenes in the cyclohexane/water emulsion system.