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. Special attention will be paid to pillararene-mediated photocatalytic reactions.The bibliography includes 151 references.