posted on 2022-01-26, 17:34authored byRong Ma, Minxiang Zeng, Dali Huang, Qingsheng Wang
Graphene
quantum dots (GQDs) are a subset of the nanocarbon material
family, which promise a wide spectrum of applications. Herein, we
describe amphiphilic graphene quantum dots with zwitterionic features
(ZGQDs), which are able to stabilize the oil/water interface. ZGQDs
were fabricated by modifying GQDs with tertiary amine groups and alkyl
groups. Moreover, the blocking and unblocking behavior of ZGQDs at
the oil/water interface could be tuned by adjusting pH values in the
aqueous phase. It would provide a flexible and adjustable method to
manipulate interfacial properties of ZGQDs, which enabled a switchable
molecular diffusion through a fluid–fluid interface. ZGQDs
have shown well-controlled interfacial behavior under different pH
conditions, indicating great potential for applications in controlled
molecular diffusion based on nanoparticles demonstrated in this work.