Self-Assembled TPPS₄ Nanostructures Revealed by Atomic Force Microscopy

Meso-tetra (4-sulfonatophenyl) porphine (TPPS4) is water-soluble tetrapyrrolic dye, which forms self assembled nanostructures – J-aggregates under appropriate conditions. It was shown, that such aggregates survive dried on the substrate. The spatial structure of TPPS4 Jaggregates formed in acidic aqueous solutions and dispersed on silicon substrates was analyzed by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The stripe-like structures were observed. The size of individual stripes ranged 4,5×40×(200-1000) nm (H×W×L). The width and height was almost the same for all stripes and independent upon the concentration of the solution, however the length was statistically distributed and the mean length increased with increasing concentration of initial TPPS4 solution. At higher concentrations such stripes stacked into thicker fibers containing 2-20 stripes. Such fibers branched and formed large bush-like structures sized up to several millimeters. According to experimental findings the model of mesostructures, formed by TPPS4 J-aggregates, was proposed.