Open-Framework Germanate Built from the Hexagonal Packing of Rigid Cylinders

We present a novel open-framework oxide material constructed from Ge10(O,OH)28 (Ge10) oxide clusters prepared via a nonsurfactant route. The material shows two distinct pore windows of 9.43 and 4.65 Å and a low framework density structure of 12.7 Ge atoms per 1000 Å3. The topological study leads to the recognition of a newly observed trinodal 6,7-heterocoordinated net related to the 7-coordinated swh net. The structure displays large rigid cylinders showing features indicating a growth mechanism by hard-sphere packing of the inorganic moiety similar to that observed in mesoporous materials.