Improved Density and Mechanical Properties of a Porous Metal-Free Phthalocyanine Thin Film Isotropically Pressed with Pressure Exceeding the Yield Strength

Metal-free phthalocyanine films were coated on substrates through vacuum evaporation, and the effects of applying a cold isostatic press were investigated. The thickness and convex surface height of cold isostatic pressed films decreased by 40 and 50%, respectively. Approximate agreement between the reduction rates indicates that pores exist mainly inside the as-coated films but along the film-substrate boundary and that film density improves with the cold isostatic pressing. The indentation modulus, hardness, and bending strength of the cold isostatic pressed films improved by factors of 2.3 and 2.8 and by 26%, respectively. (C) 2011 The Japan Society of Applied Physics