A Large Titanium Oxo Cluster Featuring a Well-Defined Structural Unit of Rutile

Titanium oxo clusters (TOCs) are the well-defined molecular modes for TiO2 materials and provide the opportunity to clarify the relationships between the structures and properties of TiO2. Here, we report a large titanium oxo cluster {Ti-14} featuring a well-defined structural unit of rutile by a solvent-thermal reaction of Ti((OPr)-Pr-i)(4), acetic acid, and 1,10-phenanthroline. Crystal structural analysis showed that the 14 Ti4+ ions are connected by 19 bridging oxo ligands, forming a double-decked hexagonal prism structure passivated with acetate and chelate 1,10-phenanthroline ligands. The {Ti-14} cluster displays a high photocatalytic H-2 production activity because of the conjugated chromophore ligands.