Rico Del Sesto

B.A. Colby College

Ph. D University of Utah (2002)

Organic and Organometallic Magnetic Materials

My research encompasses practically all areas of chemistry - from synthesis of organic ligands and organometallic materials to analyzing their properties and defining their behavior through physical phenomenon. Classified as an organic chemist, the majority of my research is synthesizing organic radical ligands, such as the nitronyl nitroxides (NN), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), and tricyanotriazine (TCT). Using these ligands, it is possible to build 3-dimensional networks of materials composed of metal ions and organic radical linkers, which will mediate magnetic communication between the unpaired electrons of the metal ions.

Organic and organometallic magnetic materials are of interest as technology is consistently leaning towards the area of magnetism for data storage, magnetic shielding, and many electronics. Using the methodology of organic and organometallic chemistry, control of products and properties is far more fathomable than using the current high temperature/high pressure, hard-to-control syntheses of magnetic materials used today.