Assembly of anion-controlled cadmium(II) coordination polymers based on flexible bis(imidazole) derivative

► Bbdmbm ligand was first used in constructing coordination polymers. ► Bbdmbm ligands adopted five kinds of conformations in compounds 1-4. ► The anion effect on the coordination mode of Cd(II) was systematically studied. ► Anion shows great effect on structural diversification.