Molecular Growth of a Core–Shell Polyoxometalate

Abstract

In a nutshell: A 4.3 nm core–shell aggregate of 16 polyoxotungstate building units (see picture of the W/Mn skeleton) delineates the upper limit for structural complexity in molecular metal oxide cluster chemistry to date. This structure is defined by a backbone network of dual MnOW bridges; a retroanalysis of their formation suggests the importance of templation and kinetic control in the self-assembly of the {MnIII40WVI224} polyanion.