Method to create a hydrophilic environment within hydrophobic nanostructures

•A new method for preparing hydrophilic/hydrophobic environments on the nanoscale.•Confinement of aqueous Cu II species into MCM-41 hydrophobic nanopores using pressure.•Modification of the N2 isotherm gives an indication of a change in pore structure.

A novel and unusual method for loading an aqueous solution of Cu II into hydrophobic MCM-41 materials under high pressure up to 400 MPa is described. The aquated Cu II species are retained in the pores creating a hydrophilic environment within a hydrophobic one. IR spectroscopy demonstrates the retention of water within the nanopores and TEM imaging illustrates the presence of the Cu II species. The modification of the N2 adsorption isotherm from a type IV to a pseudo type I indicates that the structure within the hydrophobic pore is modified by the presence of the Cu II aquated species. This unusual method demonstrates how an aqueous environment surrounded by a hydrophobic one can be created using pressure and a metal salt on the nanoscale.

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