Theoretical study of phthalocyanine–fullerene complex for a high efficiency photovoltaic device using ab initio electronic structure calculation

Many fullerene-based supramolecules have been proposed as potential organic photovoltaic devices, with their electrochemical and photo-electrochemical properties measured under light illumination. Phthalocyanine possesses good electron-donating properties due to its large easily ionised π-electron system, whereas fullerene is good π-electron acceptor which can be connected with other organic molecules. A phthalocyanine–fullerene-based supramolecular system is therefore a potential material candidate for a photovoltaic cell due to its large and flexible absorption combined with electrical properties similar to an inorganic semiconductor. We investigated the geometric and electronic structure of phthalocyanine–fullerene supramolecule using an ab initio quantum mechanical calculation. The results suggest that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) state of this supramolecule localized on the fullerene and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) state is localized on half of the phthalocyanine. The energy difference of localized LUMO levels strongly depended on the functional group attached to the phthalocyanine and the structure of the supramolecule. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]