Maximal matchings in polyspiro and benzenoid chains

Abstract

A matching $M$ of a graph $G$ is maximal if it is not a proper subset of any other matching in $G$. Maximal matchings are much less known and researched than their maximum and perfect counterparts. In particular, almost nothing is known about their enumerative properties. In this paper we present the recurrences and generating functions for the sequences enumerating maximal matchings in two classes of chemically interesting linear polymers: polyspiro chains and benzenoid chains. We also analyze the asymptotic behavior of those sequences and determine the extremal cases.