Synthesis of functionalized janus hybrid nanosheets for one-step construction of pickering emulsion and selective photodegradation of water-soluble dyes.

Recently, Pickering emulsions stabilized by photocatalytic nanomaterials have become a hotspot in the field of catalysis due to their high interfacial activity. However, since most photocatalytic nanomaterials are extremely hydrophilic, using them as stabilizers is unconvenient for Pickering emulsions construction. Herein, a novel magnetic Janus nanosheets (JMPSN/α-FeOOH) with Janus SiO 2 nanosheets as the carrier and iron oxyhydroxide (α-FeOOH) as the catalyst species, respectively, was successfully fabricated through a simple synthetic strategy, which could act as an environmental-friendly Pickering emulsion emulsifier and catalyst simultaneously. We demonstrated that JMPSN/α-FeOOH exhibited good emulsifying properties of various oil phases. Morever, JMPSN/α-FeOOH in the formed Pickering emulsion-based photocatalytic system displayed significantly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in degradation of dyes as compared to traditional non-emulsified systems while maintaining the stability of Pickering emulsion under constant irradiation. JMPSN/α-FeOOH could also quickly respond to external magnetic fields so as to achieve rapid recovery of catalyst, and catalyst still showed high catalytic activity after many catalytic cycles. Finally, a convenient and promising synthesis strategy for preparing Janus catalyst with low toxicity was proposed, which provided a guidance on how to effectively use the emulsion system stabilized by Janus catalyst to improve the degradation efficiency of various pollutants. [Display omitted] • An oil-in-water Pickering emulsion was stabilized by JMPSN/α-FeOOH without the use of any surfactants. • Pickering emulsion showed excellent photoefficiency and stability for dyes degradation. • JMPSN/α-FeOOH could quickly respond to external magnetic signals. • JMPSN/α-FeOOH still showed high catalytic activity after many catalytic cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]