Primary carrier-generation process in Y-form and phase I titanyl phthalocyanines

Optical Dielectrophoretic (DEP) Manipulation of Oil-Immersed Aqueous Droplets on a Plasmonic-Enhanced Photoconductive Surface

We present a plasmonic-enhanced dielectrophoretic (DEP) phenomenon to improve optical DEP performance of a floating electrode optoelectronic tweezers (FEOET) device, where aqueous droplets can be effectively manipulated on a light-patterned photoconductive surface immersed in an oil medium. To offer device simplicity and cost-effectiveness, recent studies have utilized a polymer-based photoconductive material such as titanium oxide phthalocyanine (TiOPc). However, the TiOPc has much poorer photoconductivity than that of semiconductors like amorphous silicon (a-Si), significantly limiting optical DEP applications. The study herein focuses on the FEOET device for which optical DEP performance can be greatly enhanced by utilizing plasmonic nanoparticles as light scattering elements to improve light absorption of the low-quality TiOPc. Numerical simulation studies of both plasmonic light scattering and electric field enhancement were conducted to verify wide-angle scattering light rays and an approximately twofold increase in electric field gradient with the presence of nanoparticles. Similarly, a spectrophotometric study conducted on the absorption spectrum of the TiOPc has shown light absorption improvement (nearly twofold) of the TiOPc layer. Additionally, droplet dynamics study experimentally demonstrated a light-actuated droplet speed of 1.90 mm/s, a more than 11-fold improvement due to plasmonic light scattering. This plasmonic-enhanced FEOET technology can considerably improve optical DEP capability even with poor-quality photoconductive materials, thus providing low-cost, easy-fabrication solutions for various droplet-based microfluidic applications.

Cell patterning via diffraction-induced optoelectronic dielectrophoresis force on an organic photoconductive chip

A laser diffraction-induced dielectrophoresis (DEP) phenomenon for the patterning and manipulation of individual HepG2 cells and polystyrene beads via positive/negative DEP forces is reported in this paper. The optoelectronic substrate was fabricated using an organic photoconductive material, TiOPc, via a spin-coating process on an indium tin oxide glass surface. A piece of square aperture array grid grating was utilized to transform the collimating He-Ne laser beam into the multi-spot diffraction pattern which forms the virtual electrodes as the TiOPc-coating surface was illuminated by the multi-spot diffraction light pattern. HepG2 cells were trapped at the spot centers and polystyrene beads were trapped within the dim region of the illuminated image. The simulation results of light-induced electric field and a Fresnel diffraction image illustrated the distribution of trapped microparticles. The HepG2 morphology change, adhesion, and growth during a 5-day culture period demonstrated the cell viability through our manipulation. The power density inducing DEP phenomena, the characteristics of the thin TiOPc coating layer, the operating ac voltage/frequency, the sandwiched medium, the temperature rise due to the ac electric fields and the illuminating patterns are discussed in this paper. This concept of utilizing laser diffraction images to generate virtual electrodes on our TiOPc-based optoelectronic DEP chip extends the applications of optoelectronic dielectrophoretic manipulation.

Controlling the texture and crystallinity of evaporated lead phthalocyanine thin films for near-infrared sensitive solar cells

To achieve organic solar cells with a broadened spectral absorption, we aim to promote the growth of the near-infrared (NIR)-active polymorph of lead phthalocyanine (PbPc) on a relevant electrode for solar cell applications. We studied the effect of different substrate modification layers on PbPc thin film structure as a function of thickness and deposition rate (rdep). We characterized crystallinity and orientation by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and in situ X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and correlated these data to the performance of bilayer solar cells. When deposited onto a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) or a molybdenum oxide (MoO3) buffer layer, the crystallinity of the PbPc films improves with thickness. The transition from a partially crystalline layer close to the substrate to a more crystalline film with a higher content of the NIR-active phase is enhanced at low rdep, thereby leading to solar cells that exhibit a higher maximum in short circuit current density (JSC) for thinner donor layers. The insertion of a CuI layer induces the formation of strongly textured, crystalline PbPc layers with a vertically homogeneous structure. Solar cells based on these templated donor layers show a variation of JSC with thickness that is independent of rdep. Consequently, without decreasing rdep we could achieve JSC=10 mA/cm2, yielding a bilayer solar cell with a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 35% at 900 nm, and an overall power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.9%.

The Excited Triplet State Properties of Titanyl Phthalocyanine and its Sulfonated Derivatives

Titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) is a well-known, excellent photoconductive material for laser printers and photocopying machines. Its organic derivatives have recently been shown to be excellent photosensitizers for singlet oxygen [O2(1Δg)] production. The excited triplet state properties of TiOPc, in homogeneous DMSO solution, were measured in this study for the first time by nanosecond laser flash photolysis. The data enabled comparisons to be drawn with TiOPcS4 and zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), ultimately providing a better understanding of the reported observations. Absorption, fluorescence, and O2(1Δg) sensitization were also studied. TiOPcS4 in DMSO shows remarkably different fluorescence properties from that reported in aqueous solution: both the fluorescence quantum yield (Φf = 0.068) and the fluorescence lifetime (τf = 3.71 ns) were much larger than that reported for aqueous solutions (0.012 and 0.09 ns, respectively). The photosensitizing properties of TiOPcS4 in DMSO are also so significantly better than that in aqueous solution, i.e. triplet lifetime (τT) of 252 μs, triplet quantum yield (ΦT) of 0.42, and the quantum yield of O2(1Δg) (ΦΔ) of 0.49; compare with values of 60 μs, 0.32, 0.13 reported in aqueous solution. TiOPc, however, shows comparable photophysical properties to that of ZnPc, a well-recognized photosensitizer. These results suggest that TiOPc and its derivatives are not only good photoconductors but also good photosensitizers of O2(1Δg), which may find application in photodynamic therapies for treatment of cancer.

Synthesis of Axially Substituted Tetrapyrazinoporphyrazinato Metal Complexes for Optical Limiting and Study of Their Photophysical Properties

The synthesis, characterization, and various photophysical properties of axially substituted tetrapyrazinotetraazaporphyrinatotitanium(IV) oxide (Pyz(4)TAPTiO) (1), tetrapyrazinotetraazaporphyrinatovanadium(IV) oxide (Pyz(4)TAPVO) (2), tetrapyrazinotetraazaporphyrinatozirconium(IV) dihydroxide [Pyz(4)TAPZr(OH)(2)] (3) are reported. Nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of Pyz(4)TAPs 1-3 have been evaluated at 532 nm with nanosecond pulses for optical limiting (OL). It is found that the introduction of nitrogen atoms in the condensed rings of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycles together with the presence of axial substituents lead to an improvement of the excited-state absorption properties in comparison to phthalocyanines (Pcs). In the linear optical regime Pyz(4)TAPs 1-3 display a blue shift (about 50-60 nm) of the main UV-vis absorption bands with respect to Pcs and exhibit orange-red fluorescence, which can be observed with the eye in the case of 1. Frontier electronic orbitals of a Pyz(4)TAP could be depicted from available experimental data and the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In the solid state, Pyz(4)TAPTiO (1) displays photoconducting properties.