BOROMAT · Boronic acids as building blocks for construction of molecular nanostructures and polymeric materials

This project describes the design and syntheses of new classes of boron-based compounds such as macrocycles, cages, and polymers, made by multicomponent self-assembly through simultaneous condensation of boronic acids with other molecular building blocks. The central goal is the formation of new materials with high porosity and low crystal density. Molecularly defined compounds such as macrocycles and cages can form porous solid state structures upon removal of encapsulated guest molecules (e.g. residual solvent molecules). Similarly, 2- and 3-dimensional polymeric networks may form porous structures if the geometry and the rigidity of the molecular building blocks are correctly chosen. Compared to classical approaches, which involve transition metals, our materials will display rather low densities because we will exclusively use molecules composed of light elements such as B, C, N, and H. This should result in intrinsic advantages for potential applications (e.g. gas storage).