Pluronic-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of microporous polyimides. Application as supports for heterogenized transition metal catalysts

Porous polyimides were synthesized fast and easily in water by combining the hydrothermal synthesis with the use of an amphiphilic block copolymer, Pluronic F-127 (HT-PF method) and were fully characterized. Their properties were compared with those of polyimides with the same chemical structure synthesized using m-cresol as solvent and isoquinoline as catalyst. Two of the polyimides synthesized by the HT-PF method were used as supports to obtain heterogenized palladium or iron catalysts (Pd-(HT-PF), Fe-(HT-PF); both metal-polyimides showed good catalytic activity Suzuki CC coupling reactions and alkylation of amines with alcohols, respectively without metal leaching detected during the reaction.