Chemists have built structures similar to molecules but made up of superatoms — clusters of atoms with some of the same properties as atoms.

To make superatom 'molecules', Xavier Roy and his colleagues at Columbia University in New York City created cobalt–selenium clusters. They then attached two or three clusters to one another with 'arms' comprising various elements.

The team hopes that the technique can be used to make materials with tailored properties such as heat conduction or the ability to store information magnetically.

Nano Lett. http://doi.org/bmw5 (2016)