New Family Of Molecules For Self-assembly: The Carboranes

A carborane is a cluster composed of boron and carbon atoms. Like many of the related boranes, these clusters are polyhedra and are similarly classified as closo-, nido-, arachno-, hypho-, etc. based on whether they represent a complete (closo-) polyhedron, or a polyhedron that is missing one (nido-), two (arachno-), or more vertices.
Interesting examples of carboranes are the extremely stable icosahedral closo-carboranes.

New Family Of Molecules For Self-assembly: The Carboranes Researchers have found a way to control the geometry and stability of a new family of self-assembled-monolayer materials, the carboranes. The resulting exceptionally high quality and simplicity of the improved carboranes opens up new capabilities in selective patterning and control, and new possibilities for applications. A tailored carborane film just one-nanometer or two-nanometers in height completely changes the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the surface on which it is applied.[...]