Photophysical and photochemical properties of Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) aryloxo and alkylthio derivatised phthalocyanine

Electrochemically Deposited Zinc (Tetraamino)phthalocyanine as a Light-activated Antimicrobial Coating Effective against S. aureus

Light-activated antimicrobial coatings are currently considered to be a promising approach for the prevention of nosocomial infections. In this work, we present a straightforward strategy for the deposition of a photoactive biocidal organic layer of zinc (tetraamino)phthalocyanine (ZnPcNH2) in an electrochemical oxidative process. The chemical structure and morphology of the resulting layer are widely characterized by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, while its ability to photogenerate reactive oxygen species (ROS) is investigated in situ by UV-Vis spectroscopy with α-terpinene or 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran as a chemical trap. It is shown that the ZnPcNH2 photosensitizer retained its photoactivity after immobilization, and that the reported light-activated coating exhibits promising antimicrobial properties towards Staphyloccocus aureus (S. aureus).

Chemical and Electronic Structure Characterization of Electrochemically Deposited Nickel Tetraamino-phthalocyanine: A Step toward More Efficient Deposition Techniques for Organic Electronics Application

Phthalocyanines (Pc), with or without metal ligands, are still of high research interest, mainly for the application in organic electronics. Because of rather low solubility, Pc-based films are commonly deposited applying various advanced and demanding vacuum techniques, like physical vapor deposition (PVD). In this work, an alternative straightforward approach of NiPc layer formation is proposed in which NH₂-side groups of nickel(II) tetraamino-phthalocyanine (AmNiPc) are engaged in the process of electrochemical deposition of (AmNiPc)_layer on indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The resulting layer is widely investigated by cyclic voltammetry, atomic force microscopy, UV-vis, and ATR-IR spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, and photoemission techniques: X-ray and UV-photoelectron spectroscopies. The chemical and electronic structure of (AmNiPc)_layer is characterized. It is shown that the electronic properties of the formed (AmNiPc)_layer/ITO hybrid correspond to the ones previously reported for PVD-NiPc films.

Singlet Fission in Thin Solid Films of Bis(thienyl)diketopyrrolopyrroles

The singlet fission (SF) process discovered in bis(thienyl)diketopyrrolopyrroles (TDPPs) can boost their potential for photovoltaics (PV). The crystal structures of TDPP analogs carrying n-hexyl, n-butyl, or 2-(adamant-1-yl)ethyl substituents are similar, but contain increasingly slipped stacked neighbor molecules. The observed SF rate constants, k_SF , (7±4), (9±3) and (5.6±1.9) ns^-1 for thin films of the three compounds, respectively, are roughly equal, but the triplet quantum yields vary strongly: (120±40), (160±40) and (70±16), respectively. The recent molecular pair model reproduces the near equality of all three k_SF at the crystal geometries and identifies all possible pair arrangements in which SF is predicted to be faster, by up to two orders of magnitude. However, it is also clear that the presently non-existent ability to predict the rates of processes competing with SF is pivotal for providing a guide for efforts to optimize the materials for PV.

The photochemistry and photophysics of a series of alpha octa(alkyl-substituted) silicon, zinc and palladium phthalocyanines

Photophysical and photochemical measurements have been made on a series of novel alpha octa(alkyl-substituted) silicon, zinc and palladium phthalocyanines for which the synthesis is outlined. Fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes, triplet quantum yields and lifetimes and singlet delta oxygen quantum yields were measured in 1% v/v pyridine in toluene. The effects of varying central atom and addition of alkyl substituents relative to unsubstituted parent molecules, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and silicon phthalocyanine (SiPc), are discussed. All phthalocyanines studied exhibit absorption and emission maxima in the region of 680-750 nm with molar absorptivity of the Q-band ~10(5) M(-1) cm(-1). The series of compounds also exhibited triplet quantum yields of 0.65-0.95 and singlet oxygen quantum yields of 0.49-0.93.

Decontamination of chemical-warfare agent simulants by polymer surfaces doped with the singlet oxygen generator zinc octaphenoxyphthalocyanine

Using reactive singlet oxygen (1O2), the oxidation of chemical-warfare agent (CWA) simulants has been demonstrated. The zinc octaphenoxyphthalocyanine (ZnOPPc) complex was demonstrated to be an efficient photosensitizer for converting molecular oxygen (O2) to 1O2 using broad-spectrum light (450-800 nm) from a 250 W halogen lamp. This photosensitization produces 1O2 in solution as well as within polymer matrices. The oxidation of 1-naphthol to naphthoquinone was used to monitor the rate of 1O2 generation in the commercially available polymer film Hydrothane that incorporates ZnOPPc. Using electrospinning, nanofibers of ZnOPPc in Hydrothane and polycarbonate were formed and analyzed for their ability to oxidize demeton-S, a CWA simulant, on the surface of the polymers and were found to have similar reactivity as their corresponding films. The Hydrothane films were then used to oxidize CWA simulants malathion, 2-chloroethyl phenyl sulfide (CEPS), and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). Through this oxidation process, the CWA simulants are converted into less toxic compounds, thus decontaminating the surface using only O2 from the air and light.

Heavy metal effects on physicochemical properties of non-aggregated azaphthalocyanine derivatives

Two series of peripherally substituted azaphthalocyanines (AzaPcs) containing different transition metals ( Al(III), Zn(II), Ga(III), In(III) and Fe(II) ) were synthesized and studied for their photophysical properties. As confirmed by UV-vis and1H NMR analyses, the non-aggregation behavior was effectively induced by the applied bulky peripheral substituents which had no effect on the photophysical properties. Tuning the Q-band position was clearly achievable by using different central heavy metals which have considerable effects on the fluorescence quantum yield and singlet oxygen generation efficiency. This comparative study showed an interesting linear relationship between the former and atomic number of the central metal. The indium containing complexes exhibited the best result due to the heavy metal effect and therefore could be promoted as a potential photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT) application.