LAUSR

We tested the feasibility of in-house synthesized M(Pc)(CN)2 type axially substituted metal-phthalocyanines (M = metal ion Co or Fe; Pc = phthalocyanine ligand) for thin film growth via physical vapor deposition. We performed optical and infrared spectroscopy on thin films deposited in high vacuum as well as thermal desorption experiments in ultrahigh vacuum using mass spectrometry. In contradiction to the expectation of a rather strongly bound CN ligand, the results indicate molecular dissociation under the loss of CN groups at a temperature that is below the evaporation temperature of the material needed to form a film on a substrate. Therefore it was concluded that PVD is not a suitable method to grow M(Pc)(CN)2 thin films. However, the obtained data yield valuable insight into the molecules’ stability.