Abstract
The directed assembly of molecular building blocks into discrete supermolecules or extended supramolecular networks through noncovalent intermolecular interactions is an ongoing challenge in chemistry. This challenge may be overcome by establishing a hierarchy of intermolecular interactions that, in turn, may facilitate the edification of supramolecular assemblies. As noncovalent interactions can be used to accelerate the reaction rates and/or to increase their selectivity, the development of efficient and practical catalytic systems, using supramolecular chemistry, has been achieved during the last few decades. However, between discrete and extended supramolecular assemblies, the newly developed “colloidal tectonics” concept allows us to link the molecular and macroscopic scales through the structured engineering of colloidal structures that can be applied to the design of predictable, versatile, and switchable catalytic systems. The main cutting-edge strategies involving supramolecular chemistry and self-organization in catalysis will be discussed and compared in this review.
Highlights
Sixty years ago, Lehn, Pedersen, and Cram (1987 Nobel Prize) developed the concept of supramolecular chemistry, which focuses on the chemical systems made up of self-assembled molecular subunits through reversible noncovalent interactions that force the spatial location and relative orientation of molecules towards each other [1]
Despite the fact that the Suzuki reaction yields up to 90%, the palladium catalyst could not be totally recycled, leading to a decrease in the catalytic activity due to ligand leaching during the separation steps. All of these results demonstrate the potential of surfactant-free multiphase emulsions as switchable reaction media for homogeneous catalysis
This review proposes an overview of the main cutting-edge strategies involving supramolecular chemistry and self-organization in catalysis via the formation of new self-assembled catalytic entities and/or systems
Summary
Lehn, Pedersen, and Cram (1987 Nobel Prize) developed the concept of supramolecular chemistry, which focuses on the chemical systems made up of self-assembled molecular subunits through reversible noncovalent interactions (electrostatic effects, hydrogen bonds, metal coordination, aromatic stacking, hydrophobic and van der Waals forces) that force the spatial location and relative orientation of molecules towards each other [1]. These catalytic self-assembled colloidal systems (e.g., colloidal suspensions, Pickering emulsions, etc.) improve: (i) the performance of the catalytic systems, (ii) the mass transfer, (iii) the phase separation, (iv) the selectivity, and (v) the global ecological aspect of the process [35] Despite all their benefits, the “colloidal tectonics” approach requires fine “programming” of tectons to make them amphiphilic and to allow for their self-organization, which results from the interactions at work between subunits of the system under consideration [34]. The “colloidal tectonics” approach requires fine “programming” of tectons to make them amphiphilic and to allow for their self-organization, which results from the interactions at work between subunits of the system under consideration [34] The objective of this contribution is to focus on the actual and potential use of self-assembled catalysts in the vast array of catalytic applications. The cited references are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the works on the investigated topic but are portals to other publications
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