Tetra-4-(4’-Меthоxyphenoxy)Phthalocyanine Copper Complex: Synthesis, Mesomorphism, Spectral and Photophysical Properties of Thin Films

A copper complex of tetra-4-(4'-methoxyphenoxy)phthalocyanine was obtained by template synthesis. Its spectral properties in solutions of chloroform, DMF, and sulfuric acid were studied. It has been established that the studied copper phthalocyanine in chloroform solution exists mainly in the monomeric form. The mesomorphism study by the method of polarization optical microscopy showed that the compound is mesogenic, exhibiting a columnar mesophase within a wide temperature range. On cooling, the compound vitrifies with preservation of the mesophase texture. Thin films of individual phthalocyaninate and its mixture with a fullerene derivative (PCBM) were obtained by spin-coating. The film thickness and surface relief were evaluated by atomic force microscopy. The spectral (absorption and fluorescence) and photophysical properties of the films have been studied. It is shown that the presence of photovoltage in individual phthalocyaninate is two times higher than in its composition with PCBM. Over time (after one year), the photovoltaic response of the film based on the individual phthalocyaninate significantly decreased, while in the film with the addition of PCBM it increased three times compared to the initial values ​​for freshly prepared samples. This behavior of photodiodes based on phthalocyanine – fullerene compositions is not typical and was observed for the first time.