Cd[C(NH <sub>2</sub> ) <sub>2</sub> O] <sub>2</sub> Cl <sub>2</sub> : A Urea-Based Open-Framework Crystal with Concurrent Short UV Cutoff Edge and Large Birefringence

High-performance birefringent crystals are crucial for advancing modern optics. Regrettably, conventional birefringent crystals are usually limited by narrow transmission windows or insufficient birefringence. Recognizing that birefringence originates from structural anisotropy, we herein assembled anisotropic π-conjugated urea ligands through a cadmium-based open framework. By leveraging the distorted Cd-based octahedra and urea-derived hydrogen-bonding network, a novel birefringent crystal, Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub>, was successfully obtained. Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub> was characterized by a characteristic 4 × 4 × 6 open-framework skeleton, wherein the repeating building unit {Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>4</sub>} is constructed by the oxygen sharing between distorted CdCl<sub>4</sub>O<sub>2</sub> octahedra and planar [C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O] groups. Notably, Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub> achieved an excellent balance between wide bandgap and substantial optical anisotropy by exhibiting a short UV cutoff edge of 201 nm and a birefringence of 0.117@546 nm, which should benefit practical applications.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Inorganic Chemistry
Published
2026-03-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6c00230
Primary Topic
Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Cd[C(NH 2 ) 2 O] 2 Cl 2 : A Urea-Based Open-Framework Crystal with Concurrent Short UV Cutoff Edge and Large Birefringence

Meihong Duan, Zhi Fang, Jin Li, Chao Ma et al.
Inorganic Chemistry
Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
article

Cd[C(NH 2 ) 2 O] 2 Cl 2 : A Urea-Based Open-Framework Crystal with Concurrent Short UV Cutoff Edge and Large Birefringence

Meihong Duan, Zhi Fang, Jin Li, Chao Ma, Xin-Mei Zeng, Xing-Yu Bi
article en

Abstract

High-performance birefringent crystals are crucial for advancing modern optics. Regrettably, conventional birefringent crystals are usually limited by narrow transmission windows or insufficient birefringence. Recognizing that birefringence originates from structural anisotropy, we herein assembled anisotropic π-conjugated urea ligands through a cadmium-based open framework. By leveraging the distorted Cd-based octahedra and urea-derived hydrogen-bonding network, a novel birefringent crystal, Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub>, was successfully obtained. Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub> was characterized by a characteristic 4 × 4 × 6 open-framework skeleton, wherein the repeating building unit {Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>4</sub>} is constructed by the oxygen sharing between distorted CdCl<sub>4</sub>O<sub>2</sub> octahedra and planar [C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O] groups. Notably, Cd[C(NH<sub>2</sub>)<sub>2</sub>O]<sub>2</sub>Cl<sub>2</sub> achieved an excellent balance between wide bandgap and substantial optical anisotropy by exhibiting a short UV cutoff edge of 201 nm and a birefringence of 0.117@546 nm, which should benefit practical applications.

Inorganic ChemistryVol. 65(10)
China West Normal University (CN), Crystal Research (United States) (US), Astronomy and Space (AU), Chemical Synthesis Lab (SG)
Openalex Percentile: Top 39%
Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
DOISourceOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Cd[C(NH <sub>2</sub> ) <sub>2</sub> O] <sub>2</sub> Cl <sub>2</sub> : A Urea-Based Open-Framework Crystal with Concurrent Short UV Cutoff Edge and Large Birefringence — Meihong Duan, Zhi Fang, et al. · Inorganic Chemistry (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS