Study of the Structure of Polyphthalocyanines by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Abstract

Two-dimensional polymers are highly promising materials for microsystems technologies and fundamental science. Some of the most interesting, but relatively unstudied, materials of this kind are polyphthalocyanines. These are a unique class of organometallic polymers with a two-dimensional conjugated structure and variable electronic properties. Since polyphthalocyanines of a high degree of polymerization can be obtained only as thin films and not as a bulk crystal, their study and characterization is a complicated scientific challenge. In this work we demonstrate the potential of transmission electron microscopy as a key tool in characterizing thin films. In particular, transmission-electron-microscopy data provide a basis for interpreting the Raman spectra of polyphthalocyanines, and also make possible interpretation of the crystal structure of the two-dimensional polymer.