Ship-in-a-bottle synthesis of copper phthalocyanine molecules within mesoporous channels of MCM-41 by a chemical vapor deposition method

We report a ship-in-a-bottle synthesis where encapsulation of copper phthalocyanines (CuPc) into mesoporous channels of silicate MCM-41 was achieved by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using 1,2-dicyanobenzene (DCNB). Silanol protons of MCM-41 were ion-exchanged with copper ions before CVD, and when the initial amount of DCNB was much larger than that of copper ions, CuPc molecules in the channels were found to form a cofacial structure that was confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectra.