Polyelectrolyte multilayers with perfluorinated phthalocyanine selectively entrapped inside the perfluorinated nanocompartments

A novel perfluorinated magnesium phthalocyanine (MgPcF₆₄) was synthesized and employed to probe nanodomains in hydrophobically modified, amphiphilic cationic polyelectrolytes bearing alkyl and/or fluoroalkyl side chains. MgPcF₆₄ was found to be solubilized exclusively in the aqueous solutions of the fluorocarbon modified polycations, occupying the perfluorinated nanocompartments provided, while analogous polyelectrolytes with alkyl side chains forming hydrocarbon nanocompartments could not host the MgPcF₆₄ dye. Multilayer films were fabricated by means of the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition method using sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) as a polyanion. Linear multilayer growth was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Atomic force microscopy studies indicated that the micellar conformation of the polycations is preserved in the multilayer films. Fluorescence spectroscopy measurements confirmed that MgPcF₆₄ stays embedded inside the fluorocarbon domains after the deposition process. This facile way of selectively incorporating water-insoluble, photoactive molecules into the structure of polyelectrolyte multilayers may be utilized for nanoengineering of ultrathin film-based optoelectronic devices.