Researchers have created a never-before-seen molecular structure called a 'half-Möbius' molecule, exhibiting a 90-degree twist that defies conventional electronic rules.
This new architecture, developed by a team co-led by Igor Rončević at the University of Manchester and Leo Gross at IBM Zurich, features a 13-carbon ring with two chlorine atoms isolating conjugated electron systems-one with 13 electrons, the other with 11. To stabilize the imbalance, the molecule twists 90 degrees, merging into a single 24-electron system.
Unlike traditional or full-Möbius molecules, this half-twist creates distinct electronic and magnetic properties. The structure also displays chirality, with left- and right-handed enantiomers that can be switched using a small voltage-a rare level of control in molecular engineering.
The discovery, published in Science, was supported by quantum computing simulations. Scientists now aim to explore extended architectures, including multiple or braided half-Möbius systems.