A new carborane based polymeric electrochrome

Boron cluster leveraged polymeric building blocks

Boron cluster compounds (BCCs) are inorganic molecules characterized by their unique physical and chemical properties. Polymeric materials incorporating BCCs exhibit significant chemical and thermal stability, making them valuable for applications in biomedical fields, energy storage, ultrahigh stability materials, and π-conjugated luminochromic polymers. This review article aims to explore the primary methods for integrating these distinctive clusters into traditional carbon-based polymers. Both boron and carbon atoms possess catenation abilities, enabling the formation of extensive macromolecular structures. While carbon forms long linear chains, boron typically leads to three-dimensional polyhedral clusters. We first examine hybrid nanostructures, focusing on weak non-covalent interactions such as dihydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and chaotropic effects between boron clusters and polymer chains. We then discuss classical chemical bonding approaches. Despite their inorganic nature, boron clusters can undergo exoskeletal substitution akin to organic counterparts, allowing their attachment as side groups to polymer repeating units. Additionally, polyhedral boron clusters can be incorporated into polymer backbones primarily through polycondensation reactions, resulting in hybrid macromolecules with exceptional physical and chemical attributes. Finally, we summarize the applications of BCC-containing polymeric materials, including their use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for metal ion batteries, and as electron acceptor groups in stimuli-responsive luminescent materials. In summary, BCC-containing polymeric materials are increasingly considered viable alternatives to traditional hydrocarbon-based polymers for biomedical applications, ion-conducting materials, luminescent materials, and temperature-resistant materials.

Introducing borane clusters into polymeric frameworks: architecture, synthesis, and applications

This feature article summarizes the preparation and applications of borane cluster-containing polymers and covers research progress and future trends of borane cluster-containing linear, dendritic, macrocyclic polymers and metal–organic frameworks.

Dehydrogenative cross-coupling of o-carborane with thiophenes via Ir-catalyzed regioselective cage B–H and C(sp2)–H activation

Iridium-catalyzed carboxylic acid directed site-selective B–H/C–H dehydrogenative cross-coupling of o-carborane with thiophenes has been achieved for the first time, leading to the preparation of 4-thienyl-o-carboranes in a simple one-pot process for potential applications in materials.

Icosahedral boron clusters: a perfect tool for the enhancement of polymer features

Boron clusters and organic molecules display manifestly different electronic, physical, chemical and geometrical characteristics. These differences highlight the complementarity of organic synthons and boron clusters, and therefore the feasibility of producing hybrid polymers incorporating both types of fragments. This review focuses on the development of hybrid organic-inorganic π conjugated, silane, siloxane and coordination polymers containing icosahedral boron clusters in the last few decades, which have received considerable academic and technological interest due to the combination of the electronic, optical and thermal properties of traditional inorganic materials with many of the desirable properties of organic plastics, including mechanical flexibility and low production costs.