Fluorosurfactants for applications in catalysis

The benefits and limitations of the use of fluorosurfactants in catalytic processes occurring in aqueous media or at the interface of two immiscible fluids (perfluorocarbons, organic solvents, scCO2) are described in a short review. •Fluorosurfactants were employed in catalysis to favor reactions at interfaces.•Fluorosurfactants were often combined with perfluorocarbons or scCO2.•Fluorous catalysts have strong potential for application as surfactant catalysts. Due to the specific physical and chemical properties of perfluorinated chains, i.e. stiffness, increased size and extreme hydrophobicity/lipophobicity, fluorosurfactants exhibit enhanced surfactant properties. Consequently, fluorosurfactants have found wide applications in consumer products, industries and research laboratories. In this article, the use of fluorosurfactants for applications in catalytic processes is reviewed. The role and benefits of such additives in catalytic processes to favor the formation of micellar systems in water, in supercritical CO2 or in reactions taking place at liquid–liquid interfaces by favoring the formation of emulsions or by stabilizing microdroplets, will be discussed. Finally, an interesting example of catalysis which takes place at the air–water interface thanks to a fluorous catalytic Langmuir film, will be highlighted.