Nanocage catalysts—rhodium nanoclusters encapsulated with dendrimers as accessible and stable catalysts for olefin and nitroarene hydrogenations

The phenylazomethine dendrimer generation 4 (TPP-DPA G4) and polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM G4-OH) encapsulating rhodium nanocluster were found to be highly effective for olefin and nitroarene hydrogenations, affording high TOF (up to 17,520 h(-1)); the important feature of the nanocage catalyst is that substrates can pass through the branches of the protecting groups of nanoclusters without releasing nanoclusters from the dendrimer.