Structure dependent packing behavior of phthalocyanine on the surface of graphite

The surface-assembly behavior of phthalocyanine is of great importance because of the molecule's important application as an organic semiconductor in electronics and in solar cells. In this work, the surf ace-assembly behavior on graphite of four metal phthalocyanines bearing different substituents was investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. Owing to the difference in the substituents, the packing symmetries of these phthalocyanines are apparently different. The results point out that the packing mode of phthalocyanine is not only influenced by molecular symmetry but also by steric hindrance. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.