Fractal features of pH-sensitive bimodal mesoporous silica-supported bipyridine-proline organocatalysts with core-shell structure and their application in asymmetric aldol reaction

Using poly(acrylic acid) (abbreviated as PAA) as a shell, bimodal mesoporous silicas (abbreviated as BMMs) as a core, and bipyridine-proline (abbreviated as Z) as an active species, a facile approach for preparation of the [email protected] nanocomposites with core–shell structure was proposed, which was used as a suitable pH-sensitive catalyst for asymmetric aldol reaction between p-nitrobenzaldehyde and cyclohexanone. Their microstructural features and physicochemical properties were extensively characterized by various methods, such as powder X-ray diffraction patterns, N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, the scanning (and transmission) electron microscopy images, the dynamic light scattering measurements, the thermogravimetric analysis, the elemental analysis, and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra. Particularly, their fractal evolution, the pair distance distribution function, and the Porod plots were demonstrated via the small-angle X-ray scattering patterns. The results elucidated that the PAA was successfully incorporated onto the external amino-modified surfaces of the mesoporous BMMs, and the particles having PAA grafted thereon had a pH-responsive shell in thickness of around 0.97 nm for controlled release of Z species by adjusting pH value of the reaction medium. Besides, the synthesized [email protected] presented the satisfactory catalytic yields (around 80%) in comparison with the homo- and heterogeneous catalytic system using Z or [email protected] as the catalysts.