Creation of POM complexes with multiple bonds between typical elements and transition metals and control of self-assembly

The strongest materials on the planet, when viewed at a small of scale are all just molecules and atoms arranged in a particular order and held together by chemical bonds. Strength, flexibility and conductivity are all properties determined by the atomic structure of a given material. Chemists have long understood how different materials will interact to form new ones in reactions and this has advanced many discoveries and products in the industrial space. As an example, electronics, batteries and display screens all rely on materials that can take and receive electrons into their chemical bonds. This gives them the functionality to transmit and store electricity, and change colour and brightness at the push of a button. Other materials that support our modern life are magnetic, light absorbing or involve catalytic reactions, meaning they speed up the reaction of other materials, which greatly increases the yield and/or speed of the reaction. Catalysts are incredibly important for the manufacturing of many materials, and new elements that can perform these functions are highly sought after. Professor Koichi Nagata is based in the Department of Chemistry at Tohoku University, Japan, and is an expert in the field of solution chemistry, the aim of his research is to design and synthesise ubiquitous metal oxides that are abundant in the earth's crust as molecular ions to create crystalline solids by precisely arranging them to form hierarchical functional materials.