Molecular chalcoxides (chalcopolyoxometalates): a family of functional materials with emergent properties

Molecular chalcoxides (chalcoPOMs; POMs=polyoxometalates), a recently discovered new family of compounds with well-defined building block attributes, are discussed in terms of developing new functional materials. This is because the combination of sulfur-containing metallo-dimers with highly condensed metallo-oxo units allows the assembly of new clusters with hybrid properties intermediate between those of polyoxometalates and chalcogenides. Moreover, the prospect that the molecular chalcoxides could be excellent new models for a better understanding of chalcogenide's functionality, as well as promising candidates for the development of new functional molecule-based or composite nanomaterials, is proposed. The concepts that support my aim for further development of the new family of molecular chalcoxides as functional materials and my vision for their potential implications in the materials chemistry are discussed.