The growth and morphology of copper phthalocyanine on TiO2 nanotube arrays

Nanostructured copper phthalocyanine was deposited by thermal vacuum evaporation, spin-coating, immersion, and electrochemical reactions onto titania nanotubes prepared by the anodization of titanium foil so as to attain interdigited heterojunctions between them for improved interfacial contact. The effects of the titania's crystal structure on the deposition were analyzed. A sodium salt derivative of copper phthalocyanine was used to enhance its affinity to the titania. The deposited copper phthalocyanine could be grown and transformed into diverse morphologies such as polyhedrons, nanorods, and nanowires. The factors affecting the morphology of the deposited copper phthalocyanine were analyzed by SEM and crystal structure analysis.