An ionic liquid-functionalized amphiphilic Janus material as a Pickering interfacial catalyst for asymmetric sulfoxidation in water

Ionic liquid-functionalized amphiphilic Janus chiral salen TiIV catalysts were prepared by partial hydrophobic modification of silica with a chiral salen TiIV complex through an imidazolium ionic liquid (IL) linker. By optimizing their hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance, the IL-functionalized JNP materials exhibited excellent interfacial activity, significantly accelerating asymmetric sulfoxidation in water through the formation of stable Pickering emulsions. Moreover, catalyst recovery was readily achieved using centrifugation.