Montmorillonite-Silica-Graphene oxide composite incorporating with chiral thiourea for the Strecker reaction

Abstract

The present study has successfully intercalated graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and silica into the montmorillonite (MMT) interlayer and deposited them onto its external surface to make montmorillonite, silica, and graphene oxide composite (MMT-silica-GO). The as-prepared composite demonstrates improved thermal stability compared to neat MMT and GO. It was followed by incorporating chiral thiourea (CTU) scaffold into MMT-silica-GO-based composite to establish chiral MMT-silica-GO-CTU-based heterogeneous system and tested over Strecker reaction, revealing high activity and selectivity. FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, SAXS, XPS, BET, SEM, EDAX, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the samples. It was credited to the synergistic effect between the composite components that enhanced access to active sites and dispersion of catalyst. Across the board, the chiral MMT-silica-GO-CTU-based heterogeneous system appears to be a promising candidate for the Strecker reaction.