Secondary building units coordination polymers

Approaches to the formation of three new types of micro-porous materials that complement zeolites will be discussed. In each case, whether metal coordination polymers, metal-linked ceramic oxide clusters, or new hybrids containing both coordination and ceramic components, engineering of the Secondary Building Unit (SBU) is of critical importance. Successful examples of these approaches include the first thermally stable 3-D micro-porous coordination polymer with chemical functionalizability [Cu3(TMA)2(H20)3] , as well as a 3-D micro-porous cluster based material [V,2B18O60H8(Cd(en)(H2O) 3]". ... 

SBU Secondary building unit in the context of coordination polymer network synthesis (reticular chemistry) refers to the geometry of metal coordination cluster fragments units as defined by the points of extension (such as the carboxylate C atoms in most carboxylate MOFs). 

A relatively new field called supramolecular chemistry has been developed over the last three decades. Supramolecular assemblies and supramolecular polymers differ from macromolecules, where the monomeric units are covalently linked. In a supramolecular polymer, the monomeric units self-assemble via reversible, highly directional, noncova-lent interactions. These types of bonding forces are sometimes called secondary interactions. Hydrogen bonding is the secondary force most utilized in supramolecular chemistry, but metal coordination and aromatic tt-tt electronic interactions have also been used. From a materials standpoint, supramolecular assemblies are promising because of the reversibility stemming from the secondary interactions. The goal is to build materials whose architectural and dynamical properties can respond reversibly to external stimuli. Solid phases are prepared by self-assembly from solution. In the solid-state, supramolecular polymers can be either crystalline or amorphous. 

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