Electrochemical fabrication of one-dimensional porphyrinic wires on electrodes

[5,15-Di(4-aminophenyl)-10,20-diphenylporphyrinato]zinc(II) was found to electropolymerize on electrodes such as glassy carbon (GC), indium tin oxide (ITO), and tin oxide, to form a redox-active, stable, and reproducible π-conjugated polymer. Electrochemical and UV/vis spectroscopic studies showed that the electropolymerization involves azobenzene linkage formation via radical intermediates. The electrode modified with the porphyrinic wire featured strong light absorptions in the visible region, thereby serving as a photoanode for a photocurrent generation system.