Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0009-0007-9556-9097

Advisor

Scott, Colleen

Committee Member

Mlsna, Todd

Committee Member

Emerson, Joseph

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU Only 1 year

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only

Major

Chemistry

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Chemistry

Abstract

This thesis uses UV-Vis spectroelectrochemistry to study diffusion-driven optical drift in an anhydrous ferrocene-rhodamine spirolactam electrochromic system. The dye was synthesized, and its structure was verified by ¹H NMR, which displayed the anticipated diethylamino, ferrocene, and aromatic resonances. The matrix was validated for optical examination by blank PMMA/TBAPF6/MeCN tests, which revealed negligible visible region interference. Both liquid solution and PMMA-based gel media were shown to be electroactive by cyclic voltammetry. However, the gel showed greater cycle-to-cycle retention and tighter voltammetric overlap from 1 to 100 cycles, suggesting enhanced interfacial confinement and decreased mass transport. The development of the colored electrochromic state was confirmed by UV-vis measurements, which showed a wide visible absorption band centered near 560 nm. Optical drift during extended operation was demonstrated by absorbance-versus-time traces that displayed periodic switching together with baseline displacement and peak-intensity variation. All things considered, PMMA gel reduced diffusion-driven instability and offered a more consistent anhydrous electrochromic operating window.

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