Thermodynamically Stable Pickering Emulsion Configured with Carbon-Nanotube-Bridged Nanosheet-Shaped Layered Double Hydroxide for Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol.

A simple strategy to configure a high thermodynamically stable Pickering emulsion with 2D sheet-shaped layered double hydroxide (LDH) coupled carbon nanotube (CNT) nanohybrid (LDH-CNT) is reported. With the benefit of a unique 2D sheet-shaped structure of the LDH, the as-made LDH-CNTs with amphiphilicity as solid emulsifiers have a good capability for assembling and stabilizing at the water-oil interface, and a superior thermostability emulsion is delivered, indicative of an increased catalytic performance for selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. Such a unique and excellent thermodynamic stability characteristic makes high reaction interfacial areas well-kept during the reaction process, yielding high catalytic performance. The present strategy provides a simple method for configuration and design of solid nanoparticle emulsifiers with high thermodynamic stability, which will make such a material be of great potential in many important applications such as catalysis and emulsifiers.