title: Fullerene-like Polyoxotitanium Cage with High Solution Stability.
abstract: We present the formation of the largest titanium-oxo cluster, [Ti42(μ3-O)60(OiPr)42(OH)12)](6-), with the first fullerene-like Ti-O shell structure. The {Ti42O60} core of this compound exemplifies the same icosahedral (Ih) symmetry as C60, the highest possible symmetry for molecules. According to the coordination environments, the Ti centers in this cluster can be arranged into a Platonic {Ti12} icosahedron and an Archimedean {Ti30} icosidodecahedron. The solution stability of this cluster was confirmed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The spherical body of the {Ti42O60} core has an inside diameter of 1.05 nm and an outside diameter of 1.53 nm, which could be directly visualized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Our results demonstrate that titanium oxide can also form fullerene-like shell structures.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Mei-Yan
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Gang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: De-Xiang
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Fuzhou 350002, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang