Research Projects

Porphycene is a better photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to its intense and red-shifted absorption band. However, it lacks absorption in the near infrared region, which is essential for deeper tissue penetration. The PIs group attempted to modify porphycene's photophysical properties by fusing the inner beta-positions of constituent bipyrroles to extend pi-conjugation. The resultant beta-tetraalkyldinaphthoporphycenes (beta-DNP) resulted in a large red-shifted and intense lowest energy Q-band, but they lack luminescence. Complexation of porphycenes with Zn(II) and Pd(II) ions enhances singlet oxygen generation ability, but these beta-DNPs failed to produce stable Zn(II) complexes. Recently, the in-core Pd(II)-complex produced singlet oxygen (18% yield). The group aims to synthesize DNPs without substituents at the 2,7,12,17-positions (0-DNP) to enhance solubility. To enhance solubility, appropriate substituents on the naphthalene moieties will be added. These porphycenes are expected to undergo facile complexation with Zn(II) and Pd(II) ions, resulting in highly efficient PSs. The beta-DNP forms selectively out-of-plane mono and bimetallic complexations with both Pd(II) and Pt(II) ions, but the Pt(II) complexes are amorphous. The 0-DNPs can be used to synthesize out-of-plane chiral metal complexes with both Pd(II) and Pt(II) using appropriate coligands to explore their enantiomeric separation and crystallinity. These chiral complexes can help as catalysts for asymmetric organic transformations and chiral sensing.