The Influence of the Molecular Structure of Cyanine Dye on the Component Composition of Molecular Layers

The formation of the component composition of symmetric cationic cyanine dyes on glass is studied. The absorption spectra of layers of three homologous series of dyes with end heterocyclic groups of different spatial and chemical compositions are measured, and the absorption spectra of monomer components and aggregates are separated. The component compositions of layers of different thicknesses are compared. It is shown that the widening of the absorption spectra of molecular layers against the spectra of ethanol solutions of these compounds is caused mainly by the formation of various monomer stereoisomers and molecular aggregates and their interaction with the substrate surface and the neighborhood. The number of isomer forms and their relative concentrations depend on the layer thickness, the electron donor ability and spatial structure of end groups, and the cation conjugation chain length. The influence of the anion manifests itself only in the concentration ratio of the formed monomers and a small shift of the maxima of their absorption bands. The increase in the number of monomer forms produced in the layer corresponds to the increase in the conjugation chain length. Spatial obstacles created by heterocyclic groups inhibit the formation of definite stereoisomers, which reduces the number of components of the layer.