Fullerene-like Niobovanadate Cage Built from {(Nb)V5 } Pentagon.

The striking aesthetic appeal of fullerene-like clusters has captured the interest of researchers. Nevertheless, the assembly of fullerene-like polyoxovadanadate (POV) cages remains a significant challenge due to the scarcity of suitable pentagonal motif. Herein, we have successfully synthesized the first fullerene-like all-inorganic POV cage, {(V2 O)V30 Nb12 O102 (H2 O)12 } (V30 Nb12 ), by introducing Nb into the POVs. V30 Nb12 is assembled by 12 heterometallic {(Nb)V5 } pentagons through sharing V centers with Ih symmetry, reminiscent of C60 . To our knowledge, the fullerene-like V30 Nb12 not only represents the highest-nuclearity POV cage but also stands as the first niobovanadate cluster. Notably, V30 Nb12 exhibits excellent solution stability, as confirmed by ESI-MS, FT-IR and UV/Vis spectra. As there is no protection organic ligand on its outer surface, V30 Nb12 can be further modified with Cu-complexes to form a fullerene-like cluster based zigzag chain (Cu-V30 Nb12 ).