title: Polymer and Membrane Design for Low Temperature Catalytic Reactions.
abstract: Catalytically active asymmetric membranes have been developed with high loadings of palladium nanoparticles located solely in the membrane's ultrathin skin layer. The manufacturing of these membranes requires polymers with functional groups, which can form insoluble complexes with palladium ions. Three polymers have been synthesized for this purpose and a complexation/nonsolvent induced phase separation followed by a palladium reduction step is carried out to prepare such membranes. Parameters to optimize the skin layer thickness and porosity, the palladium loading in this layer, and the palladium nanoparticles size are determined. The catalytic activity of the membranes is verified with the reduction of a nitro-compound and with a liquid phase Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. Very low reaction times are observed.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Luis Francisco
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Villalobos
authors.affiliation: Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Yihui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Suzana Pereira
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Klaus-Viktor
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Peinemann
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D003080:Cold Temperature; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009596:Nitrophenols / Q000737:chemistry; D010165:Palladium / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013450:Sulfones / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009596:Nitrophenols; D011108:Polymers; D013450:Sulfones; C017662:polysulfone P 1700; D010165:Palladium; C024836:4-nitrophenol
keywords: catalytic reduction; composite membrane; palladium nanoparticles