Simple propeller molecule builds complex porous material

Py6Mes has a propeller shape with a symmetry group of D3h, which carries a polar outer shell composed of six pyridyl (Py) units for sterically protecting the nonpolar aromatic core

Source: © Science / AAAS

Symmetric compound self-assembles into holey lattice that can self-heal and store gases

Not every complex material needs consist of complex building blocks, as a material made from just a single propeller-shaped molecule has shown. The compound arranges itself into a complex crystal whose pores can even self-heal after they have collapsed at high temperatures.