Systematic changes in the exocyclic substitution of a core phthalocyanine platform tune the absorption properties to yield commercially viable dyes that function as the primary light absorbers in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Blends of these complementary phthalocyanine absorb a broader portion of the solar spectrum compared to a single dye, thereby improving solar cell performance. We correlate grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering data with solar cell performance to elucidate the role of the nanomorphology of active layers composed of blends of phthalocyanine and a fullerene derivative. A highly reproducible device architecture is used to ensure accuracy and is relevant to films for solar windows in urban settings. We demonstrate that the number and structure of the exocyclic motifs dictate phase formation, hierarchical organization, and nanostructure, thus can be employed to tailor active layer morphology to enhance exciton dissociation and charge collection efficiencies in the photovoltaic devices. These studies reveal that disordered films make better solar cells, short alkanes increase the optical density of the active layer, and branched alkanes inhibit unproductive homogeneous molecular alignment.

Commercially available dyes can function as primary light absorbers in certain types of solar cells. These are the result of changes in the exocyclic substitution of a core phthalocyanine, which can vastly affect and change the absorbance properties it possesses. The reason these complementary phthalocyanine vastly improve solar cell performance is because a blend of them absorb a broader portion of the solar spectrum compared to a single dye.

The proposal that molecules can perform electronic functions in devices such as diodes, rectifiers, wires and capacitors, or serve as functional materials for electronic or magnetic memory, has stimulated intense research across physics, chemistry, and engineering for over 35 years. Because biology uses porphyrins and metalloporphyrins as catalysts, small molecule transporters, electrical conduits, and energy transducers in photosynthesis, porphyrins are an obvious class of molecules to investigate for molecular electronic functions. Of the numerous kinds of molecules under investigation for molecular electronics applications, porphyrins and their related macrocycles are of particular interest because they are robust and their electronic properties can be tuned by chelation of a metal ion and substitution on the macrocycle. The other porphyrinoids have equally variable and adjustable photophysical properties, thus photonic applications are potentiated. At least in the near term, realistic architectures for molecular electronics will require self-organization or nanoprinting on surfaces. This review concentrates on self-organized porphyrinoids as components of working electronic devices on electronically active substrates with particular emphasis on the effect of surface, molecular design, molecular orientation and matrix on the detailed electronic properties of single molecules.

Research has proven that molecules like porphyrins can perform electronic functions in certain devices, ranging from diodes to rectifiers, and also wires and capacitors, and even serve as functional materials for electronic or magnetic memory. In biology, the uses of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins cover those of catalysts, small molecule transporters, electrical conduits, and energy transducers in photosynthesis, so it's apparent that porphyrins can be quite useful for molecular electronic functions.

Of the numerous kinds of molecules under investigation for molecular electronics applications, porphyrins and their related macrocycles are of particular interest because they are robust and their electronic properties can be tuned by chelation of a metal ion and substitution on the macrocycle. The other porphyrinoids have equally variable and adjustable photophysical properties, thus photonic applications are potentiated. At least in the near term, realistic architectures for molecular electronics will require self-organization or nanoprinting on surfaces. This review concentrates on self-organized porphyrinoids as components of working electronic devices on electronically active substrates with particular emphasis on the effect of surface, molecular design, molecular orientation and matrix on the detailed electronic properties of single molecules.