Carboranes as guests, counterions and linkers in coordination polymers and networks

Carborane clusters play a variety of roles in the assembly of 1D-coordination polymers and 2D- and 3D-networks. In this review, comments on coordination polymers in which neutral carborane guests are accommodated are followed by discussion of the incorporation of anionic carboranes into coordination polymers and networks, with critical comments concerning the classification of some ‘coordination polymers’ within the 2013 IUPAC guidelines. Functionalization of carborane clusters with carboxylato, phosphino, thiolato or 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridinyl domains provides potential for their incorporation as covalently bound linkers into the backbones of coordination polymers and frameworks; in the case of phosphino- and thiolato-functionalized clusters, the carborane clusters are located on the periphery of the 1D-polymer chains.