Role of Polymer Structures in Catalysis by Transition Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Composites

Nanoparticle (NP)/polymer nanocomposites received considerable attention because of their important applications including catalysis. Metal and metal oxide NPs may impart catalytic properties to polymer nanocomposites, while polymers with a different structure, functionality, and architecture control the NP formation (size, shape, location, composition, etc.) and in this way, govern catalytic properties of nanocomposites. In this review we will discuss the influence of the polymer nanostructure (thin or grafted layers, polymer ordering, polymer nanopores), architecture (branched vs linear), functional groups (coordinating or ionic), specific properties (reducing, stimuli responsive, conductive), etc. on the formation of metal or metal oxide NPs and the catalytic behavior of the nanocomposites. The development of novel and efficient catalysts is crucial for progress in chemical sciences, and this explains a huge number of publications in this area in recent years. Taking into consideration previous review articles on NP/polymer catalysts, we limited this review to a discussion of a narrow temporal scope (2017-April 2019), while embracing a broad subject scope, i.e., considering any polymers and NPs which form catalytic nanocomposites. This gives us a unique view of the field of catalytic polymer nanocomposites and allows understanding of where the field is going.