Reaction chemistry of palladium acetate complexes in polycarbonate: a comparative study

Palladium acetate complexes have been incorporated into polycarbonate (PC) films as a dispersion medium using tetrahydrofuran (THF). The resulting lig ht brown-coloured homogeneous films of 10-30 wt.% Pd metal complex concentr ation are found to be thermally stable up to 150 degrees C, and the relativ ely electron rich oxygen atoms of ketone groups in polycarbonate molecules are assumed to interact with Pd complexes on the basis of their infrared sp ectroscopic and thermal analyses. The reaction chemistry of Pd in PC has be en investigated by reacting Pd sites with small gaseous molecules such as C O, H-2, O-2, NO, and olefins in the temperature range of 25 to 150 degrees C, and various Pd-carbonyls, -hydride, -nitrosyl, and -ethylene species for med in PC are characterized. The treatment of Pd-containing PC film with H- 2 gas at 120 degrees C produces small Pd metal particles of ca. 40-330 Angs trom in diameter in PC, which show various catalytic reactivities in CO oxi dation, NO reduction, dimethyl carbonate formation and hydrogenation of sty rene-monomer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.