Thin film of porphyrin for heavy metal ion sensing

Abstract

Thin film science and technology is one of the important fields of research and development. The reduction in the dimension of bulk material by approaching a limit of 2-dimensional (2D) system through the fabrication of ultrathin films of the material provides a remarkable increase in surface-to-volume (S-V) ratio as compared to its bulk form. Such an enhancement in surface-to-volume ratio increases the activities of material enormously and thereby material properties like catalysis, reactivity, and adhesion are enhanced remarkably. This research study deals with the development of ultrathin film of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin molecule-based sensor which is capable of addressing the problem of water pollution caused by heavy toxic metal ions such as cadmium, cobalt, lead, and mercury. In sensing applications, in addition to the physicochemical properties of the molecules, the nature of aggregation governs the sensing performance. Under the controlled environment of a laboratory, the ultrathin film of tetraphenylporphyrin deposited on a transducer surface with different assemblies of molecules and their sensing performance are highlighted in this chapter