Phthalocyanine Materials: Synthesis, Structure and Function (Chemistry of Solid State Materials)

Since their discovery earlier this century, phthalocyanines have been of great interest to chemists, physicists and industrial scientists. They remain one of the most studied functional molecular materials and a vast literature devoted to structure property relationships has evolved, based on the continuous advances in phthalocyanine synthesis. This book assimilates this information, using recent advances from the study of phthalocyanine-based materials to critically evaluate their potential role in emerging technologies. Following a brief historical overview and a chapter devoted to chemical synthesis, the book describes the various types of molecular and polymeric phthalocyanine materials. These include crystals, thin film fabrication including molecular epitaxial deposition and the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, composites, liquid crystals and self-assembled materials. The fundamental optical and electronic properties of these materials are explained and their potential in nonlinear optics, optical data storage, electronic sensors, xerography, solar energy conversion, nuclear chemistry, molecular magnetism, electrochromic displays and heterogeneous catalysis is evaluated.