Potential Methods of Nanoencapsulation

Moreover, in this example, the solvent systems used are also incompatible. The Grubbs catalyst is used in a relatively dry, nonpolar solvent to dissolve the substrates, whereas the AD-mix is placed in various alcohol-water mixtures. 

One of the drawbacks with such a macroscopic system is the increased time for the diffusion of molecules relative to that in nanoscale systems. Molecules will clearly take longer to pass through thick barriers and to diffuse great distances than in the nanoscale regime. Therefore, the nanoencapsulation of such systems is desirable as it potentially reduces these limitations very significantly. Our attention now proceeds to various potential methods for nanoencapsulation. 

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The use of multiple otherwise incompatible catalysts allows multistep reactions to proceed in one reaction vessel, providing many potential benefits. In this chapter, literature examples of nanoencapsulation for the purpose of process intensification have been discussed comprehensively. Current efforts in the literature are mostly concentrated in the areas of LbL template-based nanoencapsulation and sol-gel immobilization. Other cascade reactions (without the use of nanoencapsulation) that allow the use of incompatible catalysts were also examined and showcased as potential targets for nanoencapsulation approaches. Finally, different methods for nanoencapsulation were investigated, thereby suggesting potential ways forward for cascade reactions that use incompatible catalysts, solvent systems, or simply incompatible reaction conditions. 

Nonetheless, a wide variety of potential methods are available to achieve the goal of nanoencapsulation for the purpose of facilitating the use of two or more incompatible catalysts in cascade reactions. The many multistep reactions that are of importance in the fine chemicals industry are prime targets for the application of the principles of nanoencapsulation and, therefore, of green chemistry. 

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