Coordination polymers built from 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene: from crystalline to amorphous.

The supramolecular chemistry of the bis-imidazole ligand 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene, popularly known as bix, has been explored by various researchers in order to synthesize functional coordination polymers (CPs). The flexibility of the bix ligand, its unpredictable conformation and its coordination behaviour with transition metal ions have resulted in a huge number of structurally diverse and functionally intriguing CPs. In this perspective review we discuss the progress in CPs of bix between 1997 and today. More precisely, this review emphasizes the developments in functional supramolecular coordination polymers built from the bix ligand, from crystalline materials to amorphous nanomaterials.