Preparation and catalytic performance of temperature-responsive cell-like particles

Abstract

A novel kind of cell-like particles as temperature-responsive catalysts was presented in this paper. First, uniform α-Fe2O3 shuttle-like nanoparticles were prepared by homogeneous hydrolysis. Then, these α-Fe2O3 particles were coated by Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), SiO2 and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), respectively. After the removal of SiO2 layer by etching with HF solution, the cell-like particles were prepared when the α-Fe2O3, AuNPs, and PNIPAM were as cell nucleus, catalysts, and cell membranes, respectively. These cell-like particles showed a novel temperature-responsively catalytic performance because the PNIPAM shell could change its hydrophilicity and swelling capacity under different temperature. When the temperature was 25°C, the yield of 4-aminophenol (4-AP) from 4- nitrophenol (4-NP) by reduction of NaBH4 was about 100% in 15 min, while the yield of 4-AP was about 90.5% in 40 min. when the temperature was 40°C.