The review covers the fifty-year period of chemistry of thecloso-decaborate anion [B₁₀H₁₀]^2–from the first report by Hawthorne and Pitochelli. The main attention is paid to reactions of substitution of various atoms and groups for hydrogen atoms. The general stability of thecloso-decaborate cage, including its protonation, cage-opening and cage oxidation reactions, is considered as well. A review with 242 references.

Novel silylated hydroborate clusters comprising the closo-decaborate cage were prepared and characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ¹¹B, ²⁹Si NMR and mass spectroscopy ESI. The synthesis of such silylated clusters was achieved using reactive derivatives of [B₁₀H₁₀]²⁻, [1-B₁₀H₉N₂]⁻ and [2-B₁₀H₉CO]⁻. These silylated decaborate clusters constitute a new class of precursors that can be covalently anchored onto various silica supports without any prior surface modification. As a proof of concept, the synthesized precursors were successfully anchored on mesoporous silica, SBA-15 type, in different percentages, where the mesoporous material retained its structure. All materials modified with closo-decaborate were characterized by ¹¹B and ²⁹Si solid state NMR, XRD, TEM and nitrogen sorption.

A new class of multifunctional silica nanoparticles carrying boron clusters (10‐vertex closo‐decaborate) and incorporating luminescent centers (fluorescein) has been developed as potential probes/carriers for potential application in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). These silica nanoparticles were charged in situ with silylated‐fluorescein fluorophores via the Stöber method and their surface was further functionalized with decaborate‐triethoxysilane precursors. The resulting decaborate dye‐doped silica nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, solid state NMR, DLS, nitrogen sorption, elemental analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

The increase in environmental pollution, especially water pollution, has intensified the requirement for new strategies for the treatment of water sources. Furthermore, the improved properties of nano-ferrites permit their usage in wastewater treatment. In this regard, novel Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33La_xFe_2−xO₄ nanoparticles (NPs), where 0.00≤x≤0.08, were synthesized to test their photocatalytic, antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. The structural and optical properties of the prepared NPs were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) analysis. As La content increases, the bandgap energy increases, whereas the particle size decreases. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared NPs is evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. Superior activity is exhibited by Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33La_0.01Fe_1.99O₄ NPs. The influence of catalyst dosage, pH, temperature and addition of graphene (Gr) on the photodegradation reaction was studied. Increasing the pH and temperature improved the rate of the photodegradation reaction. The antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of the NPs were assessed against Escherichia coli, Leclercia adecarboxylata, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium. Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33Fe₂O₄ NPs inhibited bacterial growth. They had bacteriostatic activity on all isolates, with a greater effect on Gram-positive bacteria. All tested nano-ferrites had significant antibiofilm activities against some biofilms.