Inducing solid-state isolation of the phthalocyanine macrocycle by its incorporation within rigid, randomly shaped oligomers

The synthesis and properties of two non-planar and highly rigid pentamers containing four phthalocyanine units linked, via a spirocyclic fused ring system, to a central phthalocyanine or porphyrin core is described. It is shown that the rigidity of these novel oligomers, together with the large number of structural isomers of irregular shape induced by the presence of the four spiro-centres, inhibits efficient packing of the macrocycles in the solid state. Therefore, the UV-visible absorption spectrum of spin-coated films of these materials is almost identical to that obtained from the non-aggregated oligomers in dilute solution. Nitrogen adsorption measurements indicate a high surface area for one of the pentamers, which is consistent with some degree of microporosity.