In partnership with student researchers Yume Mai, Alexandria Balzen and Rebecca Torres, chemistry faculty Adam Colson and Michael Callahan have published an article titled “A Modular Strategy for Expanding Electron-Sink Capacity in Noncanonical Cluster Assemblies” in the journal Inorganic Chemistry, a publication of the American Chemical Society.
The article describes a new approach to preparing discrete molecular species with the ability to accommodate multiple electrons when subjected to an applied electric potential. Relatively few molecules are able to store more than two electrons at a time, but the research team from Boise State has developed a straightforward strategy for assembling molecules capable of accommodating up to six electrons per molecular unit, rivaling some of the most effective “electron-sink” species currently known. The authors believe that their work could eventually be adapted to fabricate molecular-scale charge storage systems used in a variety of applications, including sophisticated pulsed power systems, flexible or damage-tolerant electronic devices, and charge-based data storage.