Characterization of composite phthalocyanine-fatty acid films from the air/water interface to solid supports

A commercial vanadyl 2,9,16,23-tetraphenoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (VOPc) was dissolved in chloroform and spread on ultrapure water subphase in a Langmuir trough. The floating film was thoroughly characterized at the air-water interface by means of the Langmuir isotherm, Brewster angle microscopy, UV-vis reflection spectroscopy, and infrared measurements carried out directly at the air-water interface. All the results showed the formation of a non-uniform and aggregated floating layer, too rigid to be transferred by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. For this reason, a mixture of arachidic acid and VOPc was realized, characterized, and transferred by the LB technique on solid substrates. Interface measurements and atomic force microscopy analysis suggested the formation of a uniform arachidic acid film and a superimposed VOPc placed in prone configuration.