Abstract
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.
Highlights
Phthalocyanines are conjugated macrocycles existing either in a free-base form (H2Pc) or with a metal in the center (MPcs)
In order to predict the changes in the electronic properties caused by NiPc modification and (AmNiPc)layer formation, semiempirical calculations were performed
The energy levels of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) were calculated for NiPc and AmNiPc monomers as well as for the AmNiPc layer represented by the AmNiPc dimer (Figure 1)
Summary
Phthalocyanines are conjugated macrocycles existing either in a free-base form (H2Pc) or with a metal in the center (MPcs). They have been widely studied for applications in (opto)electronic devices, such as solar cells,[1−3] organic light-emitting diodes,[4,5] gas sensors,[6−9] and field-effect transistors.[10] The big advantage of Pcs is that their macroscopic properties derive directly from their molecular electronic structure. The biggest limitation of Pcs in some applications (i.e., solar cells, gas sensors) are low electron mobility and inefficient charge transport These limitations can be overcome by combining Pcs with inorganic semiconductors in hybrid structures.[12]
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