Described herein are metal complexes having the formula ##STR1##

wherein M is nickel, palladium, or platinum; Q¹-Q⁴ are each independently sulfur, selenium, or tellurium; X¹-X⁴ are each independently a divalent linking group having 1 to about 125 carbons; m1 to m4 are each independently 0 or 1; and W¹-W⁴ are each independently hydrogen, carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid anhydride, carboxylic acid chloride, sulfonic acid, or sulfonyl chloride, with the proviso that W¹-W⁴ are not all hydrogen. The complexes have strong absorptions in the near infrared.