Water-soluble sulfonated hyperbranched poly(arylene oxindole) catalysts as functional biomimics of cellulases

A new polymer acid catalyst, sulfonated hyperbranched poly(arylene oxindole), 5-OH-SHPAO, was prepared for selective cellulose hydrolysis. Its superior catalysis, showing high glucose selectivity at almost full cellulose conversion, is attributed to the presence of an hydroxyl group next to the sulfonic acid, therefore mimicking the separate acid-base pair in the cellulase active site.crosscheck: This document is CrossCheck deposited related_data: Supplementary Information copyright_licence: The Royal Society of Chemistry has an exclusive publication licence for this journal history: Received 21 October 2015; Accepted 18 December 2015; Accepted Manuscript published 6 January 2016; Advance Article published 13 January 2016; Version of Record published 4 February 2016status: publishe