[Study on preparation and optical spectroscopy of nickel phthalocyanine-doped sol-gel materials]

We report here the preparation of nickel tetrasulfo-phthalocyanine (NiTSPc)-doped silica xerogel matrix obtained by sol-gel technique. The evolution of silica matrix's texture and the rate during the sol-gel process, as well as silica xerogel's pore structure were studied. Dimerization behavior of NiTSPc molecules was characterized by electronic absorption spectra, and changes in the absorption spectra were correlated with various stages of the sol-gel process. The results show that in the composites NiTSPc concurs in the forms of monomer and dimer, and dimerization is stronger during the latter stages. The reason is given from the change in the micro-environment in which NiTSPc existed during the sol-gel process.