Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) for catalysis: a perspective

Metal and metal-free PIMs have been used in a variety of catalytic reactions, acting as the catalyst itself or aiding in the process. Their characteristic features, such as high porosity, versatile/simple synthesis, thermal/chemical stability and solubility/processability make them attractive and suitable materials for a range of important catalytic processes. Despite this, their use as heterogeneous catalysts has been far less explored than for other porous materials, such as MOFs. In this mini-review we discuss recent developments in the design of PIMs for catalysis in three main reactions: C-C bond formation and condensations, CO2 conversion and cyclisations, and oxidations. Furthermore, we outline why we believe PIMs have not yet been fully explored in this field and include an overview of their future prospects.