- Jung, Dahee;
- Raffan-Montoya, Fernando;
- Ramachandran, Roshini;
- Zhang, Yuanyuan;
- Islamoglu, Timur;
- Marin, Gustavo;
- Qian, Elaine A;
- Dziedzic, Rafal M;
- Farha, Omar K;
- Stoliarov, Stanislav I;
- Spokoyny, Alexander M
We report the discovery that a perhydroxylated dodecaborate cluster ([B12(OH)12]2-) can act as an inorganic polyol, serving as a molecular cross-linker in the synthesis of polyurethane-based materials. We further demonstrate how the inherent robustness of the utilized boron cluster can effectively enhance the thermal stability of the produced polyurethane materials incorporating [B12(OH)12]2- building blocks compared to analogous polymers made from carbon-based polyols. Ultimately, this approach provides a potential route to tune the chemical and physical properties of soft materials through incorporation of polyhedral boron-rich clusters into the polymer network.