Bioinspired Dip Catalysts for Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Coupling Reactions: Effect of Scaffold Architecture on the Performance of the Catalyst

Abstract

AbstractDip catalysts suitable for catalyzing important chemical reactions are designed based on bioinspiration principles and are fabricated using a facile soft lithography technique. Specifically, in this work, leaves from two different plants, Gladiolus dalenii and Amaryllis belladonna are chosen, due to their contrasting surface topographical features. The surface microstructures of these two leaves are replicated on a polymer in order to prepare scaffolds for the fabrication of dip catalysts. The microstructures of these scaffolds are utilized to direct the self‐assembly of Pd nanoparticles according to the surface topographical features. A thin film of polyvinyl alcohol is used to lock the nanoparticles on the surface and prevent them from leaching. The fabricated bioinspired dip catalysts are thoroughly characterized and are demonstrated to be highly efficient for Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reactions, examined under different experimental conditions. These bioinspired dip catalysts' performance is evaluated based on the percentage yields of the reaction and is correlated with the corresponding surface topographical features to understand the effect of the scaffold architecture on the performance of the catalysts. The developed strategy can be easily adopted to fabricate many more dip catalysts, with intriguing surface features, suitable for catalyzing several other chemical reactions as well.