Singlet Oxygen Generating Properties of Different Sizes of Charged Graphene Quantum Dot Nanoconjugates with a Positively Charged Phthalocyanine

Various sizes of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) denoted as GQD₂, GQD₆ and GQD₁₀ (increasing in size) were non-covalently attached to 2,9,16,23-tetrakis[4-(N-methylpyridyloxy)]-phthalocyanine (ZnTPPcQ) to form GQDs-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that increasing sizes of GQDs decreases the atomic concentrations of oxygen, which leads to blue shift in spectra of the GQDs. Relative to Pcs alone (0.03), the presence of GQDs improved the singlet oxygen quantum yields with the following values: GQD₂-ZnTPPcQ (0.17), GQD₆-ZnTPPcQ (0.27) and GQD₁₀-ZnTPPcQ (0.11). GQD₂-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugate system had the most ZnTPPcQ loading, but did not generate the most singlet oxygen species due to aggregation. This study shows that, the quantity of oxygen, size and quality of GQDs as well as amount of Pc loading are amongst the vital properties to consider when constructing GQD-nanoconjugate systems with optimal singlet oxygen quantum yields.

Synthesis and photophysical studies of asymmetric zinc phthalocyanine–magnetic nanoparticle conjugates

This work reports on the synthesis and amide bond linkage of carboxylic acid functionalized asymmetric zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) complexes to amino magnetic nanoparticles (AMNPs).

Synthesis of arylsulfanyl-subphthalocyanines and their ring expansion reaction

For dye-sensitized solar cells, phthalocyanines require strong absorption of far-red light between 700 and 850 nm because of their high electron transfer efficiency. Nevertheless phthalocyanines lack of affinity to basal plats, they inhibit utilization as dye-sensitized solar cell photosensitizer. Then, subphthalocyanines are used as precursors to prepare asymmetric 3:1 type phthalocyanines using a ring-enlargement technique to give affinity to basal plates. As subphthalocyanines having arylsulfanyl substituents used as a precursor, asymmetric phthalocyanines are expected to have good affinity to basal plates. Spectroscopic properties and electron transfer abilities to synthesize non-peripheral arylsulfanyl-subphthalocyanines were estimated. In addition to prepare as trial, asymmetric 3:1 type phthalocyanine, hexakis[(4-methylphenyl)thio]phthalocyanine, was synthesized from corresponding subphthalocyanine.

Syntheses of near infrared absorbed phthalocyanines to utilize photosensitizers

Phthalocyanines have become of major interest as functional colorants for various applications. In order to use various applications especially photosensitizers, the absorption maxima called Q-band of phthalocyanines are required to be shifted to the near infrared region. Substituted phthalocyanine analog alkylbenzopiridoporphyrazins, especially zinc bis(1,4-didecylbenzo)-bis(3,4-pyrido)porphyrazine, and toroidal-shaped phthalocyanines having aminoamine dendric side chains such as toroidal zinc poly(aminoamine)phthalocyanine dendrons were synthesized. Phthalocyanines of two types reportedly use photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy of cancer. The respective efficacies of photodynamic therapy of cancer for zinc bis(1,4-didecylbenzo)-bis(3,4-pyrido)porphyrazine and its regioisomers were estimated using laser-flash photolysis. The capability of using photodynamic therapy for toroidal zinc poly(aminoamine)phthalocyanine dendrons was assessed using a cancer cell culture. Both phthalocyanines were suitable for the use as a photosensitizer as photodynamic therapy of cancer. Then, non-peripheral thioaryl substituted phthalocyanines, 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thioaryl)phthalocyanines, such as 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thiophenylmethyl)phthalocyanines, 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thiophenylmethoxy)phthalocyanines, and 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thiophenyl tert-butyl)phthalocyanines were also synthesized in order to develop next- generation photovoltaic cells and/or dye-sensitized solar cells. Non-peripheral substituted 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thioaryl)phthalocyanines exhibited a Q-band in the near infrared region. Electrochemical measurements were performed on the above-mentioned 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thioaryl)phthalocyanines described above to examine their electron transfer abilities and electrochemical mechanisms. The compounds 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octakis(thioaryl)phthalocyanines are anticipated to be appropriate materials for use in the next generation of photovoltaic cells.

Zirconium((IV)) and Hafnium((IV)) Porphyrin and Phthalocyanine Complexes as New Dyes for Solar Cell Devices

Metalloporphyrin and metallophthalocyanine dyes ligating Hf(IV) and Zr(IV) ions bind to semiconductor oxide surfaces such as TiO(2) via the protruding group IV metal ions. The use of oxophylic metal ions with large ionic radii that protrude from the macrocycle is a unique mode of attaching chromophores to oxide surfaces in the design of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Our previous report on the structure and physical properties of ternary complexes wherein the Hf(IV) and Zr(IV) ions are ligated to both a porphyrinoid and to a defect site on a polyoxometalate (POM) represents a model for this new way of binding dyes to oxide surfaces. The Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) complexes of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) with two ligated acetates, (TPP)Hf(OAc)(2) and (TPP)Zr(OAc)(2), and the corresponding metallophthalocyanine (Pc) diacetate complexes, (Pc)Hf(OAc)(2) and (Pc)Zr(OAc)(2), were evaluated as novel dyes for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells. Similarly to the ternary complexes with the POM, the oxide surface replaces the acetates to affect binding. In DSSCs the Zr(IV) phthalocyanine dye performs better than the Zr(IV) porphyrin dye, and reaches an overall efficiency of ~ 1.0%. The Hf(IV) dyes are less efficient. The photophysical properties of these complexes in solution suggested energetically favorable injection of electrons into the conduction band of TiO(2) semiconductor nanoparticles, as well as a good band gap match with I(3) (-)/I(-) pair in liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium iodide. The combination of blue absorbing TPP with the red absorbing Pc complexes can increase the absorbance of solar light in the device; however, the overall conversion efficiency of DSSCs using TiO(2) nanoparticles treated with a mixture of both Zr(IV) complexes is comparable, but not greater than, the single (Pc)Zr. Thus, surface bound (TPP)Zr increases the absorbance in blue region of the spectra, but at the cost of diminished absorbance in the red in this DSSC architecture.

Symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted carboxy phthalocyanines as sensitizers for nanoporousZnOfilms

The photoelectroectrochemical studies of water soluble octacarboxylated oxotitanium (OTiOCPc) , zinc (ZnOCPC) , hydroxyaluminium ((OH)AlOCPc) , dihydroxysilicon ((OH)2SiOCPc) , hydroxygallium (OHGaOCPc) and low symmetry zinc monocarboxy (ZnMCPc) phthalocyanines were performed. The dyes were adsorbed to nanoporous ZnO electrodeposited in the presence of eosin Y as structure directing agent (SDA) on FTO substrates by refluxing or soaking the films in a solution containing the dye of interest such that a full surface coverage was achieved. High external (IPCE) and internal (APCE) quantum efficiencies of up to 50.6% and 96.7% were achieved for the OTiOCPc complex. There was a lower overall cell efficiency for cells sensitized with phthalocyanines containing hydroxyl as axial ligand ZnO/(OH)2SiOCPc , ZnO/(OH)GaOCPc and (OH)AlOCPc because of strong aggregation on the surface of the electrodes. To further suppress dye aggregation, the zinc complex of a new monocarboxylated phthalocyanine sensitizer with bulky naphtho side groups (ZnMCPc) was employed. Among the studied sensitizers, ZnMCPc gave the highest overall cell efficiency of phthalocyanine electrodeposited on ZnO of η = 0.48%.