Ethane-Bridged Zn Porphyrins Dimers in Langmuir-Schafer Thin Films: Spectroscopic, Morphologic, and Magneto-Optical Surface Plasmon Resonance Characterization

This work reports on the structural and spectroscopic properties, as well as the gas-sensing performance, of ethane-bridged Zn porphyrin dimers (ZnPP) in Langmuir-Schafer (LS) thin films toward volatile organic compounds in a magneto optical surface plasmon resonance (MOSPR) configuration. Structural and spectroscopic properties of ethane bridged ZnPP thin films deposited onto proper Au/Co/Au magneto-optical substrates were inspected in dry air conditions and after exposure to amine vapors by means of IR spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and MOSPR techniques. The molecular organization of the thin films deposited by the LS technique is investigated. The overall results suggest the presence in all cases of mainly the anti-conformer of the investigated porphyrin dimers. The strong interaction between n-butylamine vapors at high concentration and Zn porphyrin thin layers leads to a great conformational change in the porphyrin structure, which is linked to a change in the optical anisotropy of the realized LS layer.