Facile integration of single-crystalline phthalocyanine nanowires and nanotrees as photo-enhanced conductometric sensors

Nanoscale, 17 (2025) 7945-7956

Facile integration of single-crystalline phthalocyanine nanowires and nanotrees as photo-enhanced conductometric sensors

This article presents a reproducible and affordable methodology for fabricating organic聽nanowires聽(ONWs) and聽nanotrees聽(ONTs)聽as聽light-enhanced聽conductometric聽O2聽sensors. This protocol is based on a solventless procedure for the formation聽of聽high-density arrays聽of聽nanowires聽and聽nanotrees聽on interdigitated electrodes. The synthesis combines physical vapour deposition for the self-assembled growth聽of聽free-phthalocyanine聽nanowires聽and soft plasma etching to prompt the nucleation sites on the聽as-grown ONWs to allow for the formation聽of聽nanotrees. Electrical conductivity in such low-dimensional electrodes was analysed in the context聽of聽density, length, and interconnection between聽nanowires聽and聽nanotrees. Furthermore, the electrodes were immersed in water to improve the聽nanowires’ connectivity. The response聽of聽the聽nanotrees聽as聽conductometric聽O2聽sensors聽was tested at different temperatures (from room temperature to 100 degrees C), demonstrating that the higher surface area exposed by the聽nanotrees, in comparison with that聽of聽their polycrystalline thin film counterparts, effectively enhances the doping effect聽of聽oxygen and increases the response聽of聽the ONT-based sensor. Both organic聽nanowires聽and聽nanotrees聽were used聽as聽model systems to study the augmented response聽of聽the聽sensors聽provided by illumination with white or monochromatic light to organic semiconducting systems. Interestingly, the otherwise negligible sensor response at room temperature can be activated (On/Off) under LED illumination, and no dependency on the illumination wavelength in the visible range was observed. Thus, under low-power LED illumination with white light, we show a response to O2聽of聽16% and 37% in resistivity for organic聽nanotrees聽at room temperature and 100 degrees C, respectively. These results open the path to developing room temperature long-lasting gas聽sensors聽based on one- and three-dimensional聽single-crystalline聽small-molecule聽nanowires.

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