Facile preparation of graphene–metal phthalocyanine hybrid material by electrolytic exfoliation

In this article, we present a new, facile and efficient electrochemical method for the production of a stable aqueous dispersion of a graphene–metal phthalocyanine hybrid material. The material has been prepared by electrolytic exfoliation of graphite in an electrolyte containing copper phthalocyanine-3,4′,4′′,4′′′-tetrasulfonic acid tetrasodium salt (TSCuPc). Single- and few-layer graphene sheets, decorated with metal phthalocyanine molecules, are generated during the electrolysis and stably dispersed in the electrolyte with no further chemical treatment. Scanning electron/atomic force microscopic characterization shows that the TSCuPc–graphene hybrid structure has a sharp-edged particle morphology with thicknesses ranging from 2 nm to 6 nm, corresponding to 1 to 6 graphene-stacked layers and largely varied lateral dimensions from a few tens to several hundreds of nanometers. In addition, Raman/FTIR/UV-Vis spectra and X-ray diffraction reveal characteristic peaks that suggest that the TSCuPc–graphene hybrid is formed by non-covalent π–π interactions between graphene sheets and metal phthalocyanine and indicate a high quality graphene hybrid structure that can potentially be used in practical applications.

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