Tungsten-doping promoted catalytic activity of polyaniline-supported palladium for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction

Abstract

The catalytic activities of palladium nanoparticles anchored on a polyaniline support could be improved by tungsten doping to afford a significantly elevated turnover number of the catalyst at >10⁴ for the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. Materials characterization demonstrated that tungsten-doping could improve the micro-morphology of the material to absorb the reactants more efficiently. It was also beneficial for stabilizing Pd(0) species, the active sites for the catalytic reaction. Besides, tungsten might facilitate transmetallation, the key step for coupling reactions. Thus, the engineering material of Pd/W@PANI may serve as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the pharmaceutical industry.