Synthesis and photophysicochemical properties of zinc phthalocyanine derivatized with benzothiazole or carbazole photosensitizers

The synthesis of new zinc phthalocyanine complexes containing 3-(2-benzothiazol-2-yloxy) (complex 3) and 3-(carbazol-2-yloxy) (complex 4) substituents at the non-peripheral positions are reported. The new compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, 1H NMR, mass spectrometry and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The effects of carbazole and benzothiazole substitutents on the photophysical and photochemical parameters of ZnPc are reported. These new phthalocyanines are non-aggregated in common solvents and show improved photophysicochemical properties. The 3-(2-benzothiazol-2-yloxy) substituted complex showed the longest triplet lifetime ever reported for a zinc phthalocyanine (1.7 ms).

Graphical abstractZinc phthalocyanine complexes containing 3-(2-benzothiazol-2-yloxy) and 3-(carbazol-2-yloxy) substituents at the non-peripheral positions show improved photophysicochemical properties, with the former showing the longest triplet lifetime ever reported for a zinc phthalocyanine (1.7 ms).Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide