Open-framework germanate built from the hexagonal packing of rigid cylinders.

We present a novel open-framework oxide material constructed from Ge(10)(O,OH)(28) (Ge(10)) oxide clusters prepared via a nonsurfactant route. The material shows two distinct pore windows of 9.43 and 4.65 A and a low framework density structure of 12.7 Ge atoms per 1000 A(3). The topological study leads to the recognition of a newly observed trinodal 6,7-heterocoordinated net related to the 7-coordinated swh net. The structure displays large rigid cylinders showing features indicating a growth mechanism by hard-sphere packing of the inorganic moiety similar to that observed in mesoporous materials.