Multicompartment Polymeric Nanoreactors for Non-Orthogonal Cascade Catalysis

Spatial confinement of multiple catalysts presents an effective strategy for performing sequential or tandem chemical transformations in a one-pot reaction. These methods may be used to catalyze numerous reactions in conditions that are otherwise incompatible between catalyst and solvent, different catalysts, or reagents. Appropriate site isolation or support structure design will lead to significant advantages in atom economy, purification, and costs; the development of the interface between a catalyst and its confined microenvironment is paramount for realizing the next generation of nanoreactors. Polymer scaffolds can create tailor-made microenvironments resulting in catalyst compartmentalization. Through the optimization of a number of variables such as size, solubility, functionality, and morphology of the nanoreactor, catalyst activity and selectivity can be tuned. In this feature article, design principles and early strategies for polymer supports for catalyst site-isolation are introduced, and current strategies toward multicompartment polymer nanoreactors for non-orthogonal cascade catalysis are discussed. Future design trends in this burgeoning field are outlined in the conclusion.