Icosidodecahedral Coordination-saturated Cuprofullerene.

The first coordination-saturated buckyball with C60 molecule totally encased in an icosidodecahedral Cu30 in a (μ30-(η2)30)-fashion, namely C60@Cu30@Cl36N12, has been successfully realized via a C60-templated assembly. The 48 outmost coordinating atoms (36Cl + 12N) comprise a new simplicial polyhedron that is described by a ccf topology.  Charge transfer from (CuI, Cl) to C60 explains the expansion of light absorption up to 700 nm, and accounts for an ultrafast photophysical process that underpins its high photothermal conversion efficiency. This work puts a giant step forward in exohedral metallofullerene (ExMF) chemistry.