Research Information System
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, vol.0, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
ABSTRACT: Nanocomposites made of tetrahexyloxy-substituted
Co or Cu phthalocyanines adsorbed onto reduced graphene oxide
(rGO) have been prepared for detection of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). Such nanocomposites could be formed in
organic solvents, thanks to the high solubility of the substituted
phthalocyanines, establishing van der Waals and π−π stacking
interactions with rGO. UV−visible, FT-IR, and XPS characterizations
evidenced the energy transfer between rGO and the
phthalocyanines; this adsorption ability is highly suitable to form
nanocomposites exhibiting improved electronic properties. The gas
sensing properties of various VOCs were explored by conductometric
measurements conducted on interdigitated electrodes
modified with the nanocomposites, highlighting the effect of the alkyloxy substituents and phthalocyanine’s metal. All exhibited
high affinity to ammonia gas compared with other VOCs. The CuPc/rGO nanocomposites showed higher sensitivity with a lower
limit of detection (0.4 ppm) compared to CoPc/rGO (1 ppm), while phthalocyanines alone give lower sensitivity, where the limit of
detection of CuPc(OHex)4 is 5.7 ppm and CoPc(OHex)4 shows a nonlinear fit. We explained this behavior by improved energy
transfer between rGO and CuPc(OHex)4, favoring the coordination of ammonia. Detection of ammonia gas in real samples has
been achieved to further demonstrate the efficiency of these sensors.