Organic nanostructures with controllable morphology fabricated from ferrocene–porphyrin derivatives: Effect of metal-ligand coordination on the morphology, dimension and nonlinear optical properties

• Published in: Dyes and pigments 2015-02, Vol.113, p.55-60
• Main Authors: Zhu, Peihua, Kan, Lingling, Han, Xinyu, Feng, Jijun, Jia, Jingna, Zhang, Xiaomei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Derivatives; Donor–acceptor; Ferrocene; Morphology; Nanostructure; Nonlinear optical properties; Nonlinearity; Optical properties; Porphyrin; Saturation; Self assembly; Zinc
• ISSN: 0143-7208; 1873-3743
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2014.07.009

A new ferrocene–porphyrin derivative, namely 5,15-bisferrocenyl-porphyrinato zinc was designed and synthesized. Its self-assembly behavior in the absence and presence of 4,4′-bipyridine had been comparatively investigated. Depending on the intermolecular π–π interaction, the ferrocene–porphyrin self-assembled into lotus flower-like nanostructures in the absence of 4,4′-bipyridine. However, when the equivalent of 4,4′-bipyridine was added into the self-assembly solution of the ferrocene–porphyrin, nanobelts were obtained depending mainly on the Zn–N4,4′-bipyridine coordination bonds between the zinc atom of the ferrocene–porphyrin and the nitrogen atom of the additional 4,4′-bipyridine. Further investigation about the nonlinear optical properties of both aggregates revealed that the nanostructures fabricated from the ferrocene–porphyrin exhibited saturation absorption in the absence of 4,4′-bipyridine and reverse saturation absorption in the presence of 4,4′-bipyridine. A new ferrocene-porphyrin derivative, namely 5,15-bisferrocenyl-porphyrinato-znic (ZnPorFC2) was designed and synthesized. Its self-assembly behavior and the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties in the absence and presence of 4,4′-bipyridine were comparatively investigated, indicating the effective influence of metal-ligand coordination on the morphology, dimension and nonlinear optical properties of assembled aggregates. [Display omitted] •A new ferrocene–porphyrin derivative was designed and synthesized.•Self-assembly behavior and the nonlinear optical properties were investigated.•The metal-ligand coordination effect on the self-assembled aggregates was studied.