Plasma synthesis of carbon nanotube-gold nanohybrids: efficient catalysts for green oxidation of silanes in water

We report the green synthesis of silanols from hydrosilanes in high yields by using oleylamine (OA) stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) supported on oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (o-CNTs) as catalysts in H2O. The Au catalyst can be easily synthesized by a one-pot gas-liquid interfacial plasma method, and the catalyst exhibited much more remarkable catalytic activity in the oxidation of various organosilanes by using water as the solvent compared with other organic solvents (for example THF, ethyl acetate, and acetone), which is very important for organic synthesis from both the standpoint of practical reasons and an economic perspective. The Au catalyst can be readily recovered and reused without any loss of catalytic activity. In addition, our findings indicate that o-CNTs and OA are the key components of the catalyst in which the o-CNT support makes the hybrid materials hydrophilic, and the OA stabilizer makes the hybrid materials lipophilic, resulting in the high activity of the catalyst in H2O.