Professor Malcom Chisholm, a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Ohio State University, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program to develop grids based on the paddle wheel structural motif of quadruply bound metal-metal dimers. These extended assemblies with redox active dinuclear metal building blocks will be investigated using a wide range of spectroscopic techniques. Thin film applications for electo-optic devices and carbon/molecule/copper junctions for carrying current will be explored.
The storage of information in molecules that can adopt two well-defined states with different characteristics is a science driver for this research plan. The ability to sense, signal and record information all hinge on electronic responses to molecular stimuli. In this project the distribution of electron density for mixed valence species and delocalization of charge will be assessed as one measure of the extent of electronic coupling. Extensive collaborations provide a breadth of research experiences for students involved in these studies.
