Cross-linked polyvinyl polymers versus polyureas as designed supports for catalytically active M(0) nanoclusters. Part III. Nanometer scale structure of the cross-linked polyurea support EnCat 30 and of the Pd(II)/EnCat 30 and Pd(0)/EnCat 30NP catalysts.

The cross-linked polyurea support EnCat 30, its related macromolecular complex Pd(II)/EnCat 30 and its related Pd(0)/EnCat 30NP nanocomposite are thoroughly investigated with SEM, TEM, ISEC and ESR in the solid state (SEM and TEM) and swollen state in THF (ISEC and ESR). Pd(II)/EnCat 30 and its related Pd(0)/EnCat 30NP are obtained by microencapsulation of palladium acetate in a polyurea framework, which is formed upon hydrolysis/condensation of mixtures of multi-functional oligo-arylisocyanates in dichloroethane. Most remarkably, both Pd(II)/EnCat and Pd(0)/EnCat 30NP turn out to be far more (nano)porous and swellable materials than the blank polyurea matrix (EnCat 30). It is proposed that there is a strong nanostructural effect exerted by Pd(II) species due to its interaction with functional groups (amines stemming from the hydrolysis of the isocyanato groups or ureido groups belonging to the polymer chains) during the growth of the cross-linked polymer framework. As a consequence, the catalytic species in both Pd(II)/EnCat 30 and Pd(0)/EnCat 30NP are much more accessible to molecules diffusing from liquid phases in contact with the materials and, hence, are better catalysts than expected from the morphology of blank polyurea EnCat 30.

Polybenzimidazole as a promising support for metal catalysis: morphology and molecular accessibility in the dry and swollen state

Polybenzimidazole (PBI) in beaded form (250-500 microm) has been characterized in the dry state by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET, and nitrogen porosimetry. In the swollen state, it has been characterized by inverse steric exclusion chromatography (ISEC) in tetrahydrofuran, toluene, and water, by ESR of TEMPONE (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxo-1-oxypiperidine), and pulse field gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR spectroscopy, toluene, in tetrahydrofuran, ethanol and water. The dry-state results are in good agreement with the ISEC results obtained in tetrahydrofuran, toluene, and water with regard to the 40-80 nm macroporosity. The swelling-dependent surface area and pore volume detected by ISEC in toluene and water reveal the amphiphilic nature of PBI.