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This study was aimed at addressing the present challenge in self-controlled catalysts, about how to furnish the catalysts with self-governed catalytic ability in water. This objective was met by constructing a polymer composite reactor inspired from marine mussels, made of an aquatically autonomous polymer and encapsulated metal nanoparticles. The aquatically autonomous properties at the polymer support, in combination with the catalytic ability of metal nanoparticles, allowed the reactor to run catalysis with aquatically ‘autonomous’ access, which led to the occurrence of aquatically self-governed catalytic ability. This reactor showed poor catalytic reactivity in water at relatively low temperatures due to the ‘closed’ polymeric networks, which blocked access to the encapsulated metal nanoparticles. This reactor showed, however, significant reactivity in water at relatively high temperatures in response to the ‘openness’ of the access. Unlike the switchable catalysis at reported catalytic reactors which usually involved conventional hydrophilic/hydrophobic transition and the leaching of metal nanoparticles, the switchable catalysis at this reactor ran naturally with the aquatically autonomous access that did not involve any hydrophilic/hydrophobic transition and the leaching of metal nanoparticles. This protocol suggested opportunities for developing robust smart catalysts for aquatic chemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed at addressing the present challenge of cascade reactions, namely, how to furnish the catalysts with desired and hierarchical catalytic ability. This issue was addressed by constructing a cascade-reaction nanoreactor made of a bifunctional molecularly imprinted polymer containing acidic catalytic sites and Pt nanoparticles. The acidic catalytic sites within the imprinted polymer allowed one specified reaction, whereas the encapsulated Pt nanoparticles were responsible for another coupled reaction. To that end, the unique imprinted polymer was fabricated by using two well-coupled templates, that is, 4-nitrophenyl acetate and 4-nitrophenol. The catalytic hydrolysis of the former compound at the acidic catalytic sites led to the formation of the latter compound, which was further reduced by the encapsulated Pt nanoparticles to 4-aminophenol. Therefore, this nanoreactor demonstrated a catalytic-cascade ability. This protocol opens up the opportunity to develop functional catalysts for complicated chemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]