Polyaniline-supported nano metal-catalyzed coupling reactions: Opportunities and challenges

Polyanilines (PANIs) can be easily prepared from the available and cheap anilines via the oxidative polymerization reactions. Owing to the coordination of nitrogen in the material with metals, PANIs are widely used as the support of nano metal catalysts. In comparison with inorganic supports, the nano metals on PANIs were firmly anchored via the coordination bond so that they are not easily to lose during the reaction process. Moreover, since PANIs are versatile materials and their chemical features can be adjusted by introducing functional groups onto the monomers, the catalytic activities of the prepared catalysts are tunable. During the past decade, PANIs-supported nano metal catalysts have been widely applied in a variety of coupling reactions. This review aims to summarize the recent advances and give a perspective.