Evelyn is a Chemistry major at University of Michigan…

Synthesis of Novel Pyridinium Porphyrins for Electrochemical Energy Storage 

Evelyn Widmaier 

Dr. Thomas Guarr 

Organic Energy Storage Laboratory at Michigan State University Bioeconomy Institute 

Porphyrins have applications in nonaqueous redox flow batteries (RBFs) as bipolar redox-active materials and in solar photovoltaic cells as light absorbers and transfer agents. Use of porphyrins in RBFs has been limited by poor reversibility in the second electron redox reaction and low solubility. Pyridinium porphyrins have the potential to improve on these limitations for RBFs. Pyridinium porphyrins may also be viable for photochemical electron cascade in solar photovoltaic cells due to their increased electron-hole pair separation. Zinc-metalated and free base pyridinium porphyrins were obtained by reaction of aminophenyl porphyrin with pyrylium in a multistep synthesis. Redox potentials were characterized by cyclic voltammetry. Here, we present a synthetic pathway for pyridinium porphyrins and ongoing analysis of pyridinium porphyrin usefulness in electrochemical energy storage. 

Thanks Evelyn!  It was a great summer with you.  Enjoy Ann Arbor and UMich.