Polymeric catalytic membranes, adapted for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) with the objective of being applied in hydrogenation reactions, are reviewed in this chapter, highlighting the works including a rational design and full characterization of the catalytic membrane reactors. The most relevant contributions concern zero-valent MNPs (mono-and bi-metallic systems) of late transition metals (groups 8-10), involving a significant variety of (un)functionalized polymers. Both batch and continuous flow processes are discussed, being of particular interest the latter ones for large-scale applications.

The literature analysis carried out evidences that there is still room for developing innovative polymeric catalytic membranes, regarding both design and applications. Thus, for instance, well-defined stereo-controlled polymeric membranes for enantioselective hydrogenations or multi-step processes involving a series of polymeric catalytic reactors would be of interest, particularly for production of fine chemicals under smooth conditions.