Achievement

IGERT Trainee, Michelle Minton, under the advising of Prof. Claudia Rawn has synthesized metal porphyrin frameworks (MPFs). These nanostructured materials are composed of octahedral Zinc carboxylate complexes connected in a regular and rigid structure by functionalized porphyrins, yielding a characteristic pore size of 23 Ångstroms. The complete crystallographic characterization of the structure and the determination of hydrogen adsorption capacity are now being pursued. The effect of additional tailoring of the porphyrin on hydrogen adsorption capacity is planned as the next step.