One-pot synthesis of network supported catalyst using supramolecular gel as template

A simple and general strategy is described for preparing network supported catalyst through a one-pot synthetic procedure using supramolecular gel as template. This procedure directly attaches ligand to support during fabricating the support. Using this strategy, supported CuBr/di-(2-picolyl)amine catalyst with U-shaped fibrillar network was prepared and used in atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate. XPS and SEM characterization of the catalyst revealed homogeneous distribution of ligand, sufficient reactive sites, adequate mechanical strength and macroporosity. The polymerization results demonstrated high activity and reusability of such catalyst. This strategy might be extended to other supported catalysts used in column reactors.