Boron sub-phthalocyanine chloride deposited on PA substrate towards flexible optoelectronic devices: Structural, optical, and electrical characterization

Flexible thin film photovoltaic devices have been a way of interest for researchers through the last decade. Creating suitable ultrathin films of any material is necessary for the realization of flexible systems. Therefore, the current study aims to study the impact of the thickness of the Boron sub-phthalocyanine chloride B(SubPc)Cl deposited on flexible Polyacetate (PA) as a polymer substrate. The structural properties of B(SubPc)Cl/PA with different thicknesses have been investigated using XRD and AFM. The investigated samples show an amorphous characterization with grain size slightly changed from 107 to 131 nm for thicknesses of 76 and 300 nm respectively, which is affected by the effect of the thickness. The optical transmission and absorption were studied in the spectral range of 300–2500 nm where the characteristic bands of a metallic phthalocyanine known as B and Q bands were observed in this range of the spectrum. The dispersion parameters, optical dielectric, SELF, and VELF for B(SubPc)Cl/PA were calculated and interpreted. Also, by using Tauc's extrapolation, the optical energy gap (E_g) was calculated. The E_g has values of 1.76 and 3.19 for a thickness of 76 nm which increased by increasing the film thickness. The nonlinear optical properties of B(SubPc)Cl/PA have been investigated, and the values obtained showed a high nonlinear optical response. The research outcomes candidate B(SubPc)Cl/PA for optoelectronics applications such as solar cells, sensors, and nonlinear optical devices.