Palladium
nanoparticles entrapped in porous aromatic frameworks
(PAFs) or covalent organic frameworks may promote heterogeneous catalytic
reactions. However, preparing such materials as active nanocatalysts
usually requires additional steps for palladium entrapment and reduction.
This paper reports as a new approach, a simple procedure leading to
the self-entrapment of Pd nanoparticles within the PAF structure.
Thus, the selected Sonogashira synthesis affords PAF-entrapped Pd
nanoparticles that can catalyze the C–C Suzuki–Miyaura
cross-coupling reactions. Following this new concept, PAFs were synthesized
via Sonogashira cross-coupling of the tetraiodurated derivative of
tetraphenyladamantane or spiro-9,9′-bifluorene with 1,6-diethynylpyrene,
then characterized them using powder X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance
infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, and textural
properties (i.e., adsorption–desorption isotherms). The PAF-entrapped
Pd nanocatalysts showed high catalytic activity in Suzuki–Miyaura
coupling reactions (demonstrated by preserving the turnover frequency
values) and stability (demonstrated by palladium leaching and recycling
experiments). This new approach presents a new class of PAFs with
unique structural, topological, and compositional complexities as
entrapped metal nanocatalysts or for other diverse applications.