"Activated Borane" – A Porous Borane Cluster Network as an Effective Adsorbent for Removing Organic Pollutants.

The unprecedented co‐thermolysis of decaborane(14) (nido‐B10H14) and toluene results in a novel porous material (that we have named "activated borane") containing micropores between 1.0 and 1.5 nm in diameter and a specific surface area of 774 m2 g−1 (Ar, 87 K) that is thermally stable up to 1000 °C. Solid state 1H, 11B and 13C MAS NMR, UV‐vis and IR spectroscopies suggest an amorphous structure of borane clusters interconnected by toluene moieties in a ratio of about three toluene molecules for every borane cluster. In addition, the structure contains Lewis‐acidic tri‐coordinated boron sites giving it some unique properties. Activated borane displays high sorption capacity for pollutants such as sulfamethoxazole, tramadol, diclofenac and bisphenol A that exceed the capacity of commercially‐available activated carbon. The consistency in properties for each batch made, and the ease of its synthesis, make activated borane a promising porous material worthy of broad attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]