From Homonuclear Metal String Complexes to Heteronuclear Metal String Complexes

The study of metal string complexes with 1D transition-metal frameworks began in the early 1990s. As these complexes provide great insights into metal-metal multiple bonds and may have potential applications as molecular wires, this field of research has grown in the past 20 years. As such, the electronic structures of the simplest trinuclear complexes, the supporting ligand systems, and the single-molecular conductance of metal string complexes are discussed. This review introduces the development of this field and summarizes some important results in the newly designed heteronuclear metal string complexes (HMSCs). These molecules may be of great interest in studies of the nature of heterometallic electronic effects and molecular electronic applications.