Soluble Titanyl Phthalocyanines with Enhanced Thin-Film Near-IR Absorptivity

This patented technology covers materials and methods for making Titanyl Phthalocyanines (TiOPc) and rendering them soluble using peripheral substituents. In addition, the method eliminates the need for a solvent in the synthesis step, and increases the purity of yield of the isolated materials. Furthermore, the organic molecules exhibit increased absorbance of near-infrared light, increasing the potential number of photons that can be converted to charge carriers in organic photovoltaics, consequentially, increasing the overall efficiency of an organic photovoltaic device. In a nutshell, these TiOPc derivatives with peripheral substituents provide increased solubility of TiOPc and optimized solid-state morphology, which has not been achieved before.
 

Background:

Phthalocyanines are a versatile class of p-conjugated organic semiconductors applicable as materials in several electronic devices such as organic xerographic protoreceptors, nonlinear optical components, field-effect transistors, organic light-emitting diodes, and solar cells (i.e. organic electronics). Titanyl Phthalocyanine (TiOPc) is a known photoconductor and solid state IR absorber. Absorption of light in thin-films of organic semi-conductors is one of the four major processes - light absorption, exciton migration, charge separation, charge collection - that are essential for performance of an organic photovoltaic (OPV) device.
 

Applications:

• TiOPc derivatives can be used as the organic donor material in Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) devices
• Phthalocyanines are also applicable to organic field effect transistors (OFETs)
• Can be used in organic light emitting devices (OLEDs)

Advantages:

• Provides a method making the manufacture of Phthalocyanines easier, cheaper and more environmentally friendly
• A method of solubilizing Titanyl Phthalocyanines, making the production of thin films and coatings cheaper and easier
• These materials adsorb light into the near IR region, up to 1,000 nanometers, a wavelength that other solar cell technology cannot utilize
• These Titanyl Phthalocyanines thin films are photovoltaic
• These Titanyl Phthalocyanines materials can be incorporated into bulk hetero-junctions, meaning the material can be intimately mixed with other photovoltaic materials in a single layer making the free exchange of electrons more efficient

Status: issued U.S. patent #9,505,770