An enzyme-like imprinted-polymer reactor with segregated quantum confinements for a tandem catalyst.

Wenjing Wei,Maiyong Zhu,Songjun Li,Xiaojuan Shen,Shuping Wu,Tingting Zhou

doi:10.1039/c7ra12320e

Abstract

This study was aimed at addressing the present challenge in tandem catalysts, as to how to furnish catalysts with tandem catalytic-ability without involving the precise control and man-made isolation of different types of catalytic sites. This objective was realized by constructing an enzyme-like imprinted-polymer reactor made of a unique polymer composite inspired from the compartmentalization of cells, a composite of a reactive imprinted polymer (containing acidic catalytic sites), and encapsulated metal nanoparticles (acting as catalytic reduction sites). The compilation of two types of catalytic sites with admissible access allowed this reactor to behave like compartments of cells for enzymatic reactions and hence catalytically constituted two quantum interaction-segregated domains, which led to the occurrence of catalytic tandem processes. Unlike the reported functional reactors that run tandem catalysis by largely depending on the precise control and man-made isolation of different types of catalytic sites, tandem catalysis in this reactor run naturally with segregated quantum confinements, which does not involve the precise control and isolation of different types of catalytic sites. This protocol presents new opportunities for the development of functional catalysts for complicated chemical processes.

Highlights

The signi cance of tandem catalysts for modern chemical industries is beyond doubt because of less number of synthesis, separation, and puri cation steps for these catalysts and requirement of much less solvents
Practical applications of functional reactors have been unremarkable over the years; one important reason behind this is the fact that tandem catalysis at functional reactors essentially relies on the precise control and man-made
The compilation of two types of catalytic sites with admissible access allowed this reactor to behave like cell compartments for enzymatic reactions, and catalytically constituted two quantum interaction-segregated domains with each responsible for one admissible reaction

Summary

Introduction

The signi cance of tandem catalysts for modern chemical industries is beyond doubt because of less number of synthesis, separation, and puri cation steps for these catalysts and requirement of much less solvents. The use of tandem catalysts in chemical syntheses would allow consecutive reactions to proceed in a concurrent and harmonious fashion, endowing the system with one-pot synthetic-ability. Prominent among these catalysts are functional reactors,[1,2,3] composites of different types of catalytic sites. Exempli ed by acidic and basic-site-containing architectures,[4,5] functional reactors have exhibited tandem catalytic-ability This outcome is the result of their unique bi-functional catalytic properties, in which the acidic sites allow one reaction and the basic sites are responsible for another coupled reaction. Practical applications of functional reactors have been unremarkable over the years; one important reason behind this is the fact that tandem catalysis at functional reactors essentially relies on the precise control and man-made

Objectives

Results

Conclusion