Carboxylate Group-Based Phase-Selective Organogelators with a pH-Triggered Recyclable Property

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Phase-selective organogelators (PSOGs) are effective for oil spill remediation but difficult to recover.
• Strong interactions between traditional organogelators and organic phases hinder separation and reuse.
• Developing recoverable organogelators is crucial for sustainable environmental applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel pH-responsive PSOGs for enhanced separation and recovery of organic phases.
• To investigate the gelation properties and recovery efficiency of the synthesized PSOGs.
• To evaluate the potential of these PSOGs as sustainable materials for oil spill cleanup.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of pH-responsive PSOGs using itaconic anhydride and fatty amines (C12-C18).
• Evaluation of gelation ability in various organic solvents and fuel oil at low concentrations (<3 wt%).
• Assessment of PSOG recovery and reusability through pH-triggered hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity changes.

Main Results:

• Synthesized PSOGs exhibit excellent gelation capabilities, solidifying organic solvents and fuel oil at low concentrations.
• The resulting organogels are robust, facilitating easier mechanical removal.
• pH-responsive PSOGs enable efficient recovery of organic phases and oils without extraction or distillation, achieving 83.15% recovery over three cycles.
• Recycled PSOGs retain their gelation and recovery performance.

Conclusions:

• pH-responsive PSOGs offer a sustainable and efficient solution for separating and recovering organic solvents and oils.
• The facile pH-triggered recovery mechanism significantly improves upon traditional organogelator systems.
• These novel PSOGs show great promise for practical applications in environmental remediation, such as oil spill management.