An open-framework silicogermanate with 26-ring channels built from seven-coordinated (Ge,Si)10(O,OH)28 clusters

We report a new open-framework silicogermanate SU-61 containing 26-ring channels with a low framework density. It can be seen as a crystalline analogue to the mesoporous silica MCM-41. The structure is built from the assembly of (Ge,Si)(10)(O,OH)(28) clusters. It is the first time that silicon has been successfully introduced in the Ge-10 cluster in significant amounts (-21% of the tetrahedral sites). Five- and six-coordinated Ge-10 clusters have previously been observed in other germanate compounds leading to either dense or open structures. In SU-61, the seven-coordinated clusters fall onto yet another underlying net, the osf net. SU-61, along with other Ge-10 based frameworks, shows the versatility of the germanate system to adopt defined topologies playing on the connectivity of the clusters following the principles of net decoration and scale chemistry.