Shaping Molecular Topography

π-Saddles Made to Order. Our research interest revolves around carbon-rich, curved macrocycles that can be modified in their integral diameter, the extent of the π-surface, the content of metals other than carbon and their flexibility. We exploit innovative, strategic placements of defects to cause the structures to persistently adopt non-planar curvatures, which enables the formation of clearly defined supramolecular polymers. The main objectives of our group are to (1) develop synthetic methods to make those atomically precise, monodisperse, and bench-top stable curvatures and (2) to characterize and experimentally establish the aggregation behavior in solution and in the solid state. We aim to gain a fundamental understanding of carbon-based non-planar morphologies, their dynamic behavior and the rules that govern supramolecular order.