Functionalized porous organic polymers as supports for metal-containing heterogeneous catalysts: the role of polymer functionalities

Over the past few decades, functionalized porous organic polymers (fPOPs) have attracted significant attention due to their high surface area, exceptional chemical and thermal stability, tunable porosity, and rich chemical versatility. Unlike conventional inorganic supports, fPOPs offer molecular-level design flexibility, allowing the incorporation of a diverse range of functional ligands – such as pyridine, imidazole, phosphine, amine (–NH2), and carboxyl (–COOH) – into the polymer backbone through careful monomer selection and post-synthetic modification. This unique structural adaptability enables fPOPs to bridge the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, facilitating efficient catalyst recovery while maintaining high catalytic activity and selectivity. In the synthesis of fine chemicals, including hydrogenation, oxidation, and carbonylation reactions, metal-supported fPOPs have emerged as a highly promising class of heterogeneous catalysts. This review summarizes recent progress in their design and catalytic application, highlighting how polymer functionalities govern catalytic performance. Key challenges, including structural control, diffusion limitations, and metal leaching, are critically examined, along with future perspectives for the development of next-generation polymer-based catalysts.