Polymer Frameworks as Templates for Generating Size-Controlled Metal Nanoclusters. Active and Reusable Metal Catalysts Based on Organic Resins and on Organic/Inorganic Composites

Catalysts based on Pd nanoparticles supported on polyacrylic resins or on polyacrylic resins/silica composites are evaluated in terms of catalyst reusability and mechanical stability. Both technologically relevant features are satisfactory. Resin/silica/Pd composites exhibit an appreciable but not dramatic decrease of specific catalytic activity (3–4 times) when compared with their parent resin/Pd materials, but this decrease is compensated by higher mechanical stability and easier separability of the catalyst from the reaction mixture.