Micelle-Derived Palladium Nanoparticles for Suzuki–Miyaura Coupling Reactions in Water at Room Temperature

Despite the wide utility of colloidal palladium (Pd) nanoparticle (NP)-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions in laboratory and industrial synthesis, the easy construction of colloidal Pd NPs and the detailed role of surfactants remain the focus of attention. Here, we present a simple and sustainable strategy to construct a nanoreactor by connecting micelles with Pd NPs. The strategy enables us to employ a pH-induced morphological transition of sugar-based surfactant aggregates, such as worm-like, spherical, and tubular micelles, to investigate the solubilization of organic substrates. Pd NPs are mainly synthesized by the reduction of phenylboronic acid, further stabilized by the sugar-based surfactant micelles. A kinetic model is established, and the apparent activation energy of this reaction in aqueous micellar solutions is determined to be 46.7 kJ/mol. Notably, the recycled aqueous reaction mixture containing the micelles and Pd NPs can be reused.