Self-Assembly of Metal Boron Imidazolate Cages

To study the synthetic strategy from cages to extended frameworks is very important to elucidate and mimic cage-based self-assembly behavior in zeolites and other open frameworks. Here, two dodecahedral cages are rationally designed by using tridentate boron imidazolate ligands to link tetrahedral or square metal centers. The self-assembly of metal boron imidazolate cages is successfully realized. The cage-based materials display good properties on gas adsorption and reducing noble metals. This work may help us to understand the formation mechanism of extended metal–organic frameworks.