Ti3C3@C2v(9)-C82: a double-butterfly tri-metal carbide cluster inside a fullerene cage†
Abstract
An unprecedented double-butterfly Ti3C3 cluster was stabilized inside a C82 cage, forming a novel tri-metal carbide clusterfullerene, Ti3C3@C2v(9)-C82. The crystallographic results unambiguously reveal a rare Ti–C coordination mode, which differs significantly from that inside T3C3@Ih(7)-C80, highlighting the key role of fullerene cages in determining the configuration of confined metal clusters.