Theoretical design of novel trinuclear sandwich complexes with central M3 triangles (M = Ni, Pd, Pt)

On the basis of the 18-electron rule, we theoretically designed a series of sandwich complexes [M(3)L(2)(CO)(3)](q) (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; L = C(7)H(7), P(5), P(6), As(5), As(6); q = 2+, 0, or 2-) by means of density functional theory computations. These sandwich structures are of high stability, revealed by their strong donating and back-donating metal-ligand interactions, considerable aromatic characters as well as sizable energy gaps. All these proposed sandwich structures might serve as promising building blocks for new nanomaterials.