Molecules do the triple twist

An everyday analogue of a single twisted Möbius molecule is a Möbius strip. It can be made easily by twisting one end of a paper strip by 180 degrees and then joining the two ends. A triple twisted Möbius molecule is more difficult to visualize, but its graphical representation resembles the well-known recycling logo, this time with three twisted corners.

However, it has turned out to be extremely difficult to twist molecules to a Möbius surface that has only one side. Up to now, only the simplest Möbius molecules have been prepared. Now Dr. Gaston Schaller and Professor Rainer Herges from the University of Kiel and M.Sc. Filip Topić and Academy Professor Kari Rissanen from the University of Jyväskylä, together with Professor Yoshio Okamoto (Osaka, Japan) and Jun Shen (Harbin, China), have succeeded in preparing and characterizing a triple twisted annulene -- a more complex Möbius molecule which has three twists but only one surface.

Currently these chiral one-sided compounds are merely scientifically intriguing topological objects and far from practical application, but they exhibit a high potential in future applications in molecular electronics and optoelectronics.