Fulleretic Materials: Buckyball- and Buckybowl-Based Crystalline Frameworks

Merging the intrinsic properties of fullerene (buckyball) and corannulene (buckybowl) derivatives with the inherent properties of crystalline metal- and covalent-organic frameworks (MOFs and COFs), including their modularity, porosity, versatility, high surface area, and structural tunability, opens a pathway to unlock a novel class of fulleretic materials. Despite the great interest in MOFs and COFs, as well as fullerene derivatives, this perspective is the first overview focusing solely on crystalline fullerene- and corannulene-containing frameworks, highlighting their potential contributions in the fields of optoelectronic devices, electrodes, and photosensitizers. We revealed a dual role of fullerene- and corannulene-containing building blocks showing their versatility to act as either a framework linker or a guest inside the pores. This perspective encompasses a rising new field in which fulleretic crystalline frameworks are not only structural and synthetic masterpieces but also valuable potential materials to the ever-expanding technological landscape.