Solution Processable Transition Metal Phthalocyanine Nanofibres

Abstract

AbstractSolution processable organic functional materials are highly desirable for device fabrication and applications. The insoluble nature of unsubstituted metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) often limits their applications that demand solution based coating techniques. In this work, nano‐architectures of metal phthalocyanines with important transition metal ions, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu and Zn that are highly dispersible in polar organic solvents have been prepared through a simple chemical route and applied as electrode materials for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The formation of different MPcs is confirmed through various techniques such as Raman spectrocopy, X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized MPcs has a fibre‐like structure with varying dimensions of 150–650 nm in width and 5–10 μm in length. These nanostructures are supramolecular self‐assemblies of individual macrocycle rings coming together to form fibre‐like structures through π‐π interactions and are highly ordered with β crystal phase. The obtained CuPc and CoPc nanofibre dispersion coated on to a glassy carbon electrode exhibited an onset potential of −250 and −290 mV and a Tafel slope of 120 and 107 mV dec−1, respectively, for HER and good stability up to 1000 cycles.