Influence of cyclodextrins on the fluorescence, photostability and singlet oxygen quantum yields of zinc phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine complexes

The effects of formation of cyclodextrin inclusion complexes on the photochemical and photophysical properties of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and various peripherally substituted zinc phthalocyanines as well as zinc naphthalocyanine (ZnNPc) are investigated. The cyclodextrins employed were the hydroxypropyl-gamma-cyclodextrin and unsubstituted beta-cyclodextrin. Job's plots were employed to confirm the stoichiometry of the inclusion complexes and showed 2:1 and 4:1 (cyclodextrin:phthalocyanine) inclusion behavior. The phthalocyanine inclusion complexes showed larger singlet oxygen quantum yield (phi(Delta)) values when compared to the free phthalocyanines before inclusion, for complexes 1 (zinc naphthalocyanine), 2 (zinc tetranitrophthalocyanine) and 4 (zinc tetra-tert-butylphenoxyphthalocyanine). The fluorescence quantum yields generally remained unchanged following inclusion. Copyright (C) 2003 Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines.