Investigation of pH and concentration influence on layer-by-layer self-assembly for nickel(II)phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt coatings

Porphyrins and phthalocyanines are widely studied molecules for various functional applications. Researchers have investigated these photoactive compounds for electrochemical, sensor, semiconductor and photodynamic therapy purposes. Layer-by-layer (LbL.) self-assembly is preferred for its simple, environmentally-friendly and water-based features compared to other coating techniques in the literature. Coating thickness can be controlled on the order of nanometers by LbL mechanism. Multilayer thin film formation of diverse phthalocyanine-based molecules is examined in terms of molecular orientation and temperature dependency by the LbL, method. However, as well as concentration and temperature, the pH of the coating medium is another challenging parameter in the LbL approach. Film thickness and layer distribution are influenced by pH value, changing ionic density and hence the strength of electrostatic interactions during LbL assembly. In this study, layer-by-layer deposition of branched poly(ethyleneimine)/nickel(II)phthalocyanine-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (NiPcTS) coating pair is studied. Impact of pH and concentration of NiPcTS on thin film properties are tested for four different pH conditions. Corresponding analysis is made by UV-vis spectroscopy, surface profiler and quartz-crystal microbalance. LbL deposition of NiPcTS is homogeneously controlled and 98 nm thick films are obtained in the presence of acidic media.