Reversible Phase Transfer of Carbon Dots between an Organic Phase and Aqueous Solution Triggered by CO.

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted increasing attention in applications such as bio-imaging, sensors, catalysis, and drug delivery. However, unlike metallic and semiconductor nanoparticles, the transfer of CDs between polar and non-polar phases is little understood. A class of amine-terminated CDs is developed and their phase transfer behavior has been investigated. It is found that these CDs can reversibly transfer between aqueous and organic solvents by alternatively bubbling and removing CO at atmospheric pressure. The mechanism of such CO -switched phase transfer involves reversible acid-base reaction of amine-terminated CDs with CO and the reversible formation of hydrophilic ammonium salts. By using the CDs as catalysts, the phase transfer is applied in the Knoevenagel reaction for efficient homogeneous reaction, heterogeneous separation, and recycling of the catalysts.