Polymer hydrogel confined palladium nanoparticles as recyclable catalysts for Suzuki and Heck cross-coupling reactions

Abstract

Reusable palladium nanoparticles highly dispersed in porous and hydrophilic interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN), i.e., Pd@IPN hybrid gels, are employed for catalysis of Suzuki and Heck coupling reactions. Good yields are obtained with high turnover frequencies when the reactions are run with very low Pd-loadings. The use of IPN gives better recyclability than that of crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol alone. The polymer networks allow the reactants to have easy access to the Pd metals. The catalysts combine high activity with the reusability offered by the heterogeneous system, without the need for strong coordination or chelating ligands.