Fabrication of Micro‐ and Nanoscale Crystals and Thin Films of a Phthalocyanine

Micro‐ and nanosized crystals of 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25–octabutoxy–29H, 31H–phthalocyanine (Pc) were successfully fabricated through the reprecipitation approach followed by ultrasonication treatment from acetone solution. Phthalocyanine thin films were prepared by vacuum sublimation, spin‐coating and drop‐cast methods, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy, polarizing optical microscopy and luminescence spectrometry were applied to study phthalocyanine crystal's surface morphology, electronic absorption, birefringence and light emission properties accordingly. The electronic absorption maximum of Pc nanocrystals shifts to longer wavelength compared to that in acetone solution. Birefringence phenomena exist for Pc crystals with different sizes. Fluorescence is observed for both the Pc in acetone solution and thin film.

Keywords:

• phthalocyanines
• reprecipitation method
• nanocrystals

5 Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by Petroleum Research Fund Grant 40263‐AC7 and NSF Grant S21007820000006. In the summer of 2006, Xiaoyu Wang was supported in part by a University of Massachusetts Lowell Faculty‐Student Collaborative Research Grant.