Deposition of porphyrin thin films by electrophoresis

Porphyrins are heterocyclic macrocycles consisting of interconnected pyrrole subunits acting as ligands for metal ions. Metallised metalloporphyrins naturally occur as cofactors in a series of enzymes, acting as active sites for biochemical transformations. Mimicking nature, a variety of functionalized porphyrins have been prepared for different catalytic purposes [1]. These organometallic complexes have isolated metal centers in tailored coordination environments to drive catalytic reactions in homogeneous solutions. The activity and selectivity of isolated metal ions acting as single-atom catalysts are defined by the coordination environment. Depending on the porphyrin structure, the solubility of these macrocycles and their processability in solutions can be altered. While such adjustments to the structure might ease the processability, the catalytic properties might also be altered. Because homogenous catalysis presents challenges with the separation and recyclability of the catalyst, it is common to fix metalloporphyrins into molecular organic frameworks or deposit them onto a substrate. Commonly used deposition techniques face several challenges. For instance, thermal evaporation can cause partial or complete degradation of some thermally-labile functional groups attached to the porphyrins. Similarly, spin coating commonly results in an uneven thickness and uneven morphology of the deposited films. To overcome these difficulties, we present an alternative method for the deposition of porphyrin thin films that is suitable for a wide range of functionalized porphyrins. The electrophoresis can force the molecules to deposit on a conductive substrate such as a metal foil or transparent conductive oxide by applying the electric field generated by a DC power supply. The film thickness can be precisely controlled by changing the voltage value, deposition time, or solution concentration using even a small amount of material [2, 3]. Six different functionalized porphyrin molecules have been successfully deposited onto the copper foil substrate by optimizing key parameters, including applied electric field, the duration of electrophoresis, the size of the copper electrodes, and solvent polarity. To demonstrate the generality of our approach, we have selected a broad range of porphyrins that incorporate the following functional groups: phenyl rings, carboxylic acids, pyridyl rings, methyl benzyl ethers, methyl benzoyl esters, and cobalt (II) metalized macrocycle. The impact of this study extends above catalysis to various applications of porphyrins thin films on conductive substrates such as optoelectronics and sensors