A spherical deca-vanadophosphate covalent assembled all-inorganic open framework.

Through covalent connection of phosphate groups, an all-inorganic open framework, [NH4]9[P4V10O34]1.5·3H2O (1), has been prepared by a hydrothermal reduction-condensation method. It is built from a vanadophosphate (VPO) unit of [P4V10O34]6-, which represents a rare example of a spherical {V10-type} structure among the VPO family. Further studies also demonstrate that compound 1 is an n-type semiconductor.