Pillararenes as catalyst carriers: a brief update

Discovered in 2008 by T.Ogoshi and co-workers, pillararenes have already attracted much attention due to their highly organized rigid structure and electron-rich cavity capable of accommodating various cationic and neutral guests. Pillararenes are successfully used in supramolecular tectons, liquid crystals, porous materials, organic-inorganic hybrid systems, drug delivery systems and, most importantly, in various metal-supported or metal-free catalytic systems. The current review highlights the most representative examples of the use of pillararenes for the catalytic applications. In particular, the metal-free pillararene-based catalytic systems for the Knoevenagel condensation reactions as well as supramolecular artificial enzymes and phase transfer catalysts will be analyzed. Among the metal-based catalysts the pillararene-supported catalysts for C–C-coupling reactions, including asymmetric or cycloaddition reactions, as well as pillararene-supported nanoparticles or polyoxometalates will be analyzed. Particular attention will be paid to pillararene-mediated photocatalytic reactions.
The bibliography includes 151 references.