Basque Research on Molecules

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Sci/Tech

Important progress

Basque scientists' research work hits the "Science" cover

04/18/2008

Donostia International Physics Center and U.S. scientists have discovered that some organic molecules have similar electronic properties to the atoms.

A joint research work by Basque and U.S. scientists on the electronic properties of organic molecules hit on Friday the cover of the prestigious scientific magazine Science. The discovery proves that organic molecules have conductivity properties similar to those of the metal materials

The discovery is a joint work carried out by scientists of the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) of the Basque city of Donostia-San Sebastian and the University of Pittsburgh (U.S.), who coined the term "superatom" to refer to these molecules.

The research team is led by Hrvoje Petek, a Croatian physicist professor at the University of Pittsburgh working at the moment at the Donostia International Physics Center within a Basque Government's scheme to employ top-level scientists.

According to the DIPC, the "superatoms" have conductivity properties similar to those of the metal materials, "which could be very useful in the future for the development of nanometric electrical devices".

According to Petek, the discovery "creates a new perspective on the electronic properties of the materials" as to prove that hollow-shell molecules can have similar conductivity properties to the metal materials paves the way to the creation of new materials with custom-designed chemical and electronic properties".

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