Mechanism of Peripheral Substituent Effects on Adsorption–Aggregation Behaviors of Cationic Porphyrin Dyes on Tungsten(VI) Oxide Nanocolloid Particles

Abstract

The adsorption and aggregation behaviors of the cationic porphyrin derivatives such as 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin [TPyP], 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin [TMPyP], 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-ethyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin [TEPyP], and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-n-propyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin [TPPyP] (hereafter called "TPyP derivatives") in the tungsten(VI) oxide (WO3) colloid aqueous solution at weak acidic pH were studied by UV-vis spectroscopy. The TPyP derivatives were strongly adsorbed as monolayer onto the WO3 surface via the electrostatic interaction between their peripheral cationic substituents and negatively surface-charged WO3 colloid particles, and most of the ones adsorbed eventually formed J-type dimers aligned in the head-to-tail fashion. These different dimerization states were effectively analyzed by the change of ratios among the intensities of exciton split Soret bands (H- and J-bands). Judging from the exciton coupling theory and adsorption measurements, we concluded that the J-dimer geometry of the TPyP derivatives adsorbed on the WO3 colloid particle surface is strongly dependent on the presence and difference of peripheral substituents. The results described here indicate a new and promising way of designing surface supramolecular structures combination of two principles, the self-association of organic dyes, and the steric repulsive interaction between the peripheral substituents and the inorganic semiconductor surfaces.