Membrane-assisted catalysis in organic media

Abstract

In the last decades, the rapid advancement of solvent-resistant membranes and catalysis led to the development of more efficient and sustainable materials and processes. The present article critically assesses membrane-assisted catalysis in organic media, which is a multidisciplinary field combining materials science, reaction engineering, organic chemistry, and membrane science and technology. The membranes act either as catalysts directly accelerating the rate of the reaction or as selective barriers for separating homogeneous catalysts from the reaction mixture. The discussions are grouped based on the catalyst type, and introductory tables given for each group allow direct comparison of the literature with regards to reaction type, solvent(s) employed, type of membrane, catalyst rejection, highest conversion and volumetric productivity. Major achievements, limitations and inconsistencies in the field are presented along with future research directions and requirements.