Photophysical insights behind zinc naphthalocyanine-gold nanoparticle interaction and its effect over supramolecular interaction between zinc napthalocyanine and PyC60 in solution

Abstract This work envisages an efficient energy transfer phenomenon from zinc naphthalocyanine ( 1 ) to dodecanethiol functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNp) having size of 3–6 nm in toluene. Significant enhancement in singlet energy transfer efficiency is observed for 1 -AuNp conjugate. Role of AuNp over the non-covalent interaction between 1 and C 60 pyrrolidine tris-acid ethyl ester (PyC 60 ) is studied by various spectroscopic tools; considerable reduction in the magnitude of binding constant for 1 -PyC 60 supramolecule is observed in presence of AuNp. Dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscope and scanning tunneling microscope measurements give clear evidence in favour of the surface binding of 1 to AuNp.