Issue 31, 2022

From a Möbius-aromatic interlocked Mn2B10H10 wheel to the metal-doped boranaphthalenes M2@B10H8 and M2B5 2D-sheets (M = Mn and Fe): a molecules to materials continuum using DFT studies

Abstract

The inherent tendency of BR fragments to undergo coupling is utilized to predict M2B10H10 and M2@B10H8 complexes (where M = Mn and Fe). Electronic structure analysis of Mn2B10H10 (7) shows that the metal d-orbitals stabilize the interlocked boron wheel structure, forming an unprecedented geometrical pattern with Möbius aromaticity. The two additional electrons in Fe2@B10H10 (8) stabilize a twisted [10]boraannulene structure. The removal of 2H from 7 and 8 leads to the planar structures Mn2@B10H8 (11) and Fe2@B10H8 (10), respectively. The stability of the planar arrangements is due to multicentered (σ + π) bonding, where π-donation occurs from the M2 (M = Fe and Mn) unit to the borocyclic unit. The presence of 10π electrons in M2@B10H8 relates it to naphthalene, having Hückel π-aromaticity. The condensation of naphthalene to graphene in two dimensions suggests the ability to build the different metal boride monolayers FeB5 and Fe2B5, considering Fe2@B10 as the building block, bringing this molecular boron chemistry into the solid state. One of the predicted monolayers, β-Fe2B5, is found to be the global minimum in the planar arrangement based on a USPEX crystal structure search algorithm. Electronic structure analysis further shows that the stabilization mechanism in the molecular building block remains unaltered in the solid state.

Graphical abstract: From a Möbius-aromatic interlocked Mn2B10H10 wheel to the metal-doped boranaphthalenes M2@B10H8 and M2B5 2D-sheets (M = Mn and Fe): a molecules to materials continuum using DFT studies

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
21 apr 2022
Accepted
27 jun 2022
First published
27 jun 2022
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2022,13, 8968-8978

From a Möbius-aromatic interlocked Mn2B10H10 wheel to the metal-doped boranaphthalenes M2@B10H8 and M2B5 2D-sheets (M = Mn and Fe): a molecules to materials continuum using DFT studies

S. Ghorai and E. D. Jemmis, Chem. Sci., 2022, 13, 8968 DOI: 10.1039/D2SC02244C

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