Effect of Solvent and Catalyst Types on Stability and Properties of Zinc Phthalocyanine in the Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Materials

Abstract

Hybrid materials, i.e., the organically modified silicates (ORMOSIL) based on zincphthalocyanine (ZnPc) and silica glass matrix were synthesized by the sol-gel method using protic solvents (methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol) and aprotic solvent (N,N-dimethylformamide; DMF). The effect of an alkaline environment with NaOH addition (a single-stage process) and acid–alkaline environment with CH3COOH-NH4OH and HCl-NaOH (a two-stage process) was analyzed. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to study the stability of ZnPc in the sol. The highest stability of zinc phthalocyanine in the glass was obtained for synthesis with isopropanol in the presence of the alkaline catalyst. The lowest stability of ZnPc was observed when the aprotic solvent was used. The structure and optical properties of the gels were studied by SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL), respectively. The thermal stability of the materials was analyzed by TG-DSC methods.