Recent Advances on Heterogeneous Metal Catalysts for Hydrosilylation of Olefins

Since the discovery of hydrosilylation in 1947, the reaction has been continuously studied and is found to play an important role in the silicone industry, whose products have become an integral part of our lives today. Karstedt’s catalyst is a homogeneous Pt complex reported in the 70’s and has been used for hydrosilylation since then. It was long desirable to develop heterogeneous catalysts that are reusable, easy to separate, and highly active. Since 2000’s, heterogeneous catalysts with high activity and having excellent recyclability have been reported. Their activities are comparable with those of the currently used homogeneous catalyst. In particular, innovative catalysts such as the MOF immobilized complex and the single atom catalyst have been reported. Active species in these catalysts are precisely designed at the molecular or atomic level on surface, and all exhibit extremely high activity for hydrosilylation. In addition to these reports, rhodium complexes grafting on silica have been reported. The grafted Rh complex shows cooperative catalysis with an organic functionality.