UC San Diego

A Web of Science¹ search shows that the number of ̕articles found in the literature pertaining to Phthalocyanines has doubled in the last eight years alone in comparison to all previous years. Based on the types of articles found, it is clear that the potential applications for Metal Phthalocyanines (MPcs) are multifaceted. Initially, MPcs were used as blue and green dye products.² Subsequent interest in MPcs increased due to its similarities to the biologically relevant porphyrin.³⁻⁴ More recently, MPcs have been integrated into information storage systems, liquid crystal color displays and as the active material in semiconductor devices.⁵⁻⁸ Their diverse electronic properties, chemical and thermal robustness and ease of deposition (spin coating and organic molecular beam epitaxy) make them an attractive and economical candidate for use in chemical sensors. Although the literature contains many studies pertaining to MPcs, most are focused on the applications aspect of the material or on the fundamental understanding of the electronic properties of the Pcs in the absence of an analyte. This dissertation attempts to obtain an atomic level understanding of the fundamental mechanisms in which analytes interact with MPcs