Molecules do the triple twist
Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 07:20
in Physics & Chemistry
They are three-dimensional and yet single-sided: Moebius strips. These twisted objects have only one side and one edge and they put our imagination to the test. Under the leadership of Kiel University's chemist Professor Rainer Herges, an international team of scientists has succeeded in designing the world's first triply twisted molecule. Because of their peculiar quantum mechanical properties these structures are interesting for applications in molecular electronics and optoelectronics. In the scientific journal Nature Chemistry the scientists report that they used a topological trick when making these intricate molecules.