Compartmentalization of Brönsted Acid/Pybox-Ru(II) by Polymeric Micelles for One-Pot Tandem Catalysis

Graphical This study develops polymeric micelles with Brönsted acid and pybox-Ru(II) catalysts encapsulated in hydrophobic cores for efficient one-pot tandem catalysis of deacetalization-transfer hydrogenation. The micelles, prepared via self-assembly of block copolymers, demonstrate excellent catalytic efficiency, offering a simple and effective strategy for tandem catalysis. One-pot tandem catalysis has been favored by researchers for its ability to achieve the advantage of a shortened production process. In this paper, polymeric micelles containing Brönsted acid/pybox-Ru(II) in the hydrophobic cores were prepared for one-pot tandem catalysis of deacetalization-transfer hydrogenation reaction. First, block copolymer P[NHS] 30 - b -P[PEG 2000 ] 68 containing activated ester (NHS) in the suspended chain was successfully synthesized by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using a functional monomer containing norbornene group (NB-NHS) and polyethylene glycol containing norbornene group (NB-PEG 2000 ) as the raw materials. Then, block copolymer P[COOH] 30 - b -P[PEG 2000 ] 68 containing Brönsted acid catalyst and complex P[pybox-Ru] 30 - b -P[PEG 2000 ] 68 containing pybox-Ru(II) catalyst were prepared by the activated ester functionalization strategy. The copolymers and complexes were characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Then, polymeric micelles with the catalysts encapsulated in hydrophobic cores were achieved by the self-assembly of the above copolymers in water. The prepared polymeric micelles as catalytic nanoreactors were successfully applied to one-pot tandem catalysis of the deacetalization-transfer hydrogenation reaction, demonstrating excellent catalytic efficiency. This study provided a facile and efficient strategy for tandem catalysis.