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[Ag(2)(9-aca)(2)] (1) (9-acaH = 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid) reacts with a series of imidazoles to give [Ag(imidH)(2.3)(CH(3)CN)(0.7)](9-aca) (3), [Ag(6)(imidH)(4)(9-aca)(6)(MeOH)(2)] (4), {[Ag(1-Me-imid)(2)](2)[Ag(4)(9-aca)(6)]} (5), {[Ag(1-Bu-imid)(2)](2)[Ag(4)(9-aca)(6)]} (6) and [Ag(apim)](9-aca)·H(2)O (7) (imidH = imidazole; 1-Me-imid = 1-methylimidazole; 1-Bu-imid = 1-butylimidazole; apim = 1-(3-aminopropyl)imidazole). The mononuclear complex 3, hexanuclear 4-6, and polymeric 7, were all characterised using X-ray crystallography. While many of the complexes possess excellent in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities they are, unanimously, more effective against fungal cells. The insect, Galleria mellonella, can survive high doses of the Ag(i) complexes administered in vivo, and a number of the complexes offer significant protection to larvae infected with a lethal dose of pathogenic Candida albicans cells.

The mixed metal complex [Zn(TFA)(3)(μ-OH)Cu(3)(dmae)(3)Br]·THF (1) and its isostructural analogues ([Zn(TFA)(3)(μ-OH)Cu(3)(dmae)(3)Cl]·THF (2) and [Zn(TFA)(3)(μ-OH)Cu(3)(dmae)(3)Cl/Br]·THF (3)) have been prepared by a simple metal ligand assembly method and were characterized by their melting points, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and single crystal X-ray structures. The compounds are distinguished only by the nature of the halide ions and are made up of the same [Zn(TFA)(3)(μ-OH)Cu(3)(dmae)(3)X]·THF molecular building block with Cu(3)ZnO(4) cubane moieties as the central core in which the four metal ions and four oxygen atoms are joined together in alternate positions of the cuboid. All the complexes crystallize with similar packing and crystallographically related symmetry settings, distinguished mainly by the degree of disorder within the complexes and the ordering of the complexes in the structures. The triclinic cell of (1) emulates the monoclinic cell of (2) and is pseudomerohedrally twinned by a symmetry operation of the monoclinic cell. The molecules in (2) are 1:1 disordered around a crystallographic mirror plane. The structure of the mixed halogen compound (3) in turn is a superstructure of the less symmetric structures of (1) and (2) formed by ordering of the complexes along the longest axis of (3). Aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) experiments showed that they are promising precursors to deposit thin films of crystalline Cu/ZnO composites. The surface morphology, microstructure, chemical composition and crystallinity of the resulting Cu/ZnO composite thin films were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), which suggest that the films are thin, crystalline, uniform, smooth and tightly adherent to the substrates with average crystallite sizes in a range between 40.2 and 80.0 nm. Particle sizes, shapes and film morphology were investigated as a function of precursor and decomposition temperature.

A single-source heterobimetallic complex Ni2Ti2(OEt)2(mu-OEt)6(acac)4 (1) (acac=2,4-pentanedionate), having a low decomposition temperature and sufficient solubility in organic solvents, was synthesized by simple chemical techniques in high yield and analyzed by melting point, FTIR, single crystal X-ray analysis and thermal analysis. The TGA analysis proved that complex (1) underwent facile thermal decomposition at 500 degrees C to give NiTiO3 residue. In-house designed aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition equipment was used to deposit high quality thin films of NiTiO3 on a SnO2 coated conducting glass substrate at 500 degrees C. An XRD analysis of the thin films proved the formation of crystalline NiTiO3 with average grain size 42 nm. Scanning electron microscopic studies (SEM) show that the thin films consist of flat, plate-like nanoparticles. The current-potential characteristics recorded under AM1.5 illumination indicate that NiTiO3 thin films are anodic and the photocurrent density at 1.23 V vs RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode) is about 40 microA cm(-2).

Heterobimetallic molecular precursors [Ti(4)(dmae)(6)(mu-OH)(mu-O)(6)Cu(6)(benzoate)(9)] (1) and [Ti(4)(dmae)(6)(mu-OH)(mu-O)(6)Cu(6)(2-methylbenzoate)(9)] (2) were prepared by the interaction of Ti(dmae)(4) [dmae=N,N-dimethylaminoethanolate] with Cu(benzoate)(2).2H(2)O for (2) and Cu(2-methylbenzoate)(2).2H(2)O for (2), respectively, in dry toluene, for selective deposition of Cu/Ti oxide thin films for possible technological applications. Both the complexes were characterized by melting point, elemental analysis, FT-IR, thermal analysis and single crystal X-ray analysis. Complex (1) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 and complex (2) in the rhombohedral space group R-3. The TGA analysis proves that complexes (1) and (2) undergo facile thermal decomposition at 550 degrees C to form copper titanium mixed metal oxides. The SEM/EDX and XRD analyses suggest the formation of carbonaceous impurity free good quality thin films of crystalline mixtures of beta-Cu(3)TiO(4) and TiO(2) for both (1) and (2), with average grain sizes of 0.29 and 0.74 microm, respectively. Formation of two different homogeneously dispersed oxide phases is also supported by electrical impedance measurements.