Decorating nickel phthalocyanine periphery by aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazole pendants: synthesis, characterization, and conductivity studies

We have decorated nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) periphery by four different aryl-[1,3,4]-oxadiazole pendants. Introduction of aryl-[1,3,4]-oxadiazole pendants into the NiPc core results in improved thermal stability, fine-tuning of the position of the Q-band with decrease in band gap, indicating effective electronic communication between the two different ring systems with NiPc core. The magnitude of DC electrical conductivity for aryl-[1,3,4]-oxadiazole-substituted NiPcs 3a–3d is found to be ∼105 times higher than the parent NiPc (1). The temperature-dependent DC conductivity studies reveal semiconducting nature of the newly synthesized NiPc compounds with significant decrease in thermal activation energy (ΔE) compared to parent NiPc.