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.