Catalytic Activity of Linear Polystyrene-Stabilized Metal Nanoparticles in Water

Linear polystyrene was suitable as a stabilizer for metal nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) were used to characterize the metal nanoparticles supported by polystyrene. Linear polystyrene-stabilized PdO nanoparticles (PS-PdONPs), which prepared by thermal decomposition of Pd(OAc)2 have high catalytic activity and reusability for several carbon-carbon coupling reactions in water. Linear polystyrene-stabilized Pt nanoparticles (PS-Pt(0)NPs) exhibited high catalytic activity for aerobic alcohol oxidation, hydrogen-transfer reduction, and indole synthesis. The reversible transfer of palladium species between reaction medium (water) and stabilizer (polystyrene) was confirmed for several reactions. For Hiyama coupling reaction, the catalytic activity of PdO nanoparticles (Pd(II) species) was much higher than that of Pd nanoparticles (Pd(0) species).