Fluorinated Phthalocyanine/Silver Nanoconjugates for Multifunctional Biological Applications

In this study, a new phthalonitrile derivative namely 4-[(2,4-difluorophenyl)ethynyl]phthalonitrile (1) and its metal phthalocyanines (2 and 3) were synthesized. The resultant compounds were conjugated to silver nanoparticles and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The biological properties of compounds (1-3), their nanoconjugates (4-6), and silver nanoparticles (7) were examined for the first time in this study. The antioxidant activities of biological candidates (1-7) were studied by applying the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained 97.47 % for 200 mg/L manganese phthalocyanine-silver nanoconjugates (6). The antimicrobial and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) activities of biological candidates (1-7) were examined using a micro-dilution assay. The highest MIC value was obtained 8 mg/L for nanoconjugate 6 against E. hirae. The studied compounds and their silver nanoconjugates exhibited high APDT activities against all the studied microorganisms. The most effective APDT activities were obtained 4 mg/L for nanoconjugates (5 and 6) against L. pneumophila and E. hirae, respectively. All the studied biological candidates displayed high cell viability inhibition activities against E. coli cell growth. The biofilm inhibition activities of the tested biological candidates were also investigated against S. aureus and P. Aeruginosa. Biological candidates (1-6) can be considered efficient metal nanoparticle-based materials for multi-disciplinary biological applications.

Fluorinated Zinc and Copper Phthalocyanines as Efficient Third Components in Ternary Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

Fluorinated zinc and copper metallophthalocyanines MPcF₄₈ are synthesized and incorporated as third component small molecules in ternary organic solar cells (TOSCs). To enable the high performance of TOSCs, maximizing short-circuit current density (J _SC) is crucial. Ternary bulk heterojunction blends, consisting of a polymer donor PTB7-Th, fullerene acceptors PC₇₀BM, and a third component MPcF₄₈, are formulated to fabricate TOSCs with a device architecture of ITO/PFN/active layer/V₂O₅/Ag. Employing copper as metal atom substitution in the third component of TOSCs enhances J _SC as a result of complementary absorption spectra in the near-infrared region. In combination with J _SC enhancement, suppressed charge recombination, improved exciton dissociation and charge carrier collection efficiency, and better morphology lead to a slightly improved fill factor (FF), resulting in a 7% enhancement of PCE than those of binary OSCs. In addition to the increased PCE, the photostability of TOSCs has also been improved by the appropriate addition of CuPcF₄₈. Detailed studies imply that metal atom substitution in phthalocyanines is an effective way to improve J _SC, FF, and thus the performance and photostability of TOSCs.