Molecular Chalcoxides (ChalcoPOMs): A Family of Functional Materials with Emergent Properties

What is it about?

This concept paper builds on a recent discovery published in 2013, Adv. Mater. 2013, 25, 6245–6249. It is generally acknowledged that there is a global need for the development of functional materials for new/emerging applications such as fuel cells, down-sizing of conducting materials, catalysts etc. This concept article presents a new synthetic approach to the construction of a fundamentally new family of materials with pre-defined functionality.

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Why is it important?

I describe their unique characteristics, their great potential as molecular materials as well as precursors for the generation of new types of molecular chalcogenide-based compounds. The ideas and results summarized in this concept paper show that Chalco-POMs offer unique advantages, and should inspire other researchers in the chemical sciences to explore their potential.