Lipid Hydrolysis Catalyzed by Graphene Oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) is a two‐dimensional carbon nanomaterial. It has oxygen‐containing functional groups, including alcohols, epoxides, and carboxylic acids. Herein, we show that GO catalyzes the hydrolysis of typical lipid molecules—phospholipids, triacylglycerols, sphingomyelins, and cholesterol esters—at temperatures above 50 °C. Ester bonds at both 1‐ and 2‐positions of phosphatidylcholine were hydrolyzed by GO, indicating that the hydrolysis reaction is non‐regiospecific in nature. GO‐mediated lipid hydrolysis was facilitated by ethanol with maximal activity at 60% ethanol, whereas lipid hydrolysis by porcine pancreatic lipase showed maximal activity at 30% ethanol. The catalytic efficiency of recovered GO for phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis was approximately 80% up to four cycles.