All-carbon molecules in metal complexes - novel materials and intermediates

未来的一个重要需求是具有可控制的不寻常特性的新材料。对越来越小的电子设备的需求需要有关分子的适当属性（特别是电子）的知识，这些分子被设计用来模拟诸如电线、开关等设备。这项工作旨在设计、测量和评估这种分子，这种分子是基于碳原子链连接金属中心，可以很容易地获得或失去电子。随着电子结构的变化，物理（光态、固态）和化学性质（反应性）也会发生变化。提高对这些特性的理解将有利于先进技术和新材料的发展。

An important requirement for the future is new materials with unusual properties that can be controlled. The need for ever smaller electronic devices requires knowledge about appropriate properties (particularly electronic) of molecules designed to model devices such as wires, switches, etc. This work seeks to design, measure and evaluate such molecules, which are based on chains of carbon atoms linking metal centres which can gain or lose electrons readily. As the electronic structure changes, so do the physical (photo, solid-state) and chemical properties (reactivity). Improved understanding of these features will benefit development of advanced technology and new materials.