Investigation of Zinc phthalocyanine films for QCM sensing applications

A Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) with 10 MHZ fundamental resonance was used as the sensing element(s) to monitor changes in the properties of Zinc Phthalocyanine (ZnPc) films caused by adsorption of different types of selected organic vapour, such as hexane and benzene. The experimental admittance spectra of (QCM) around resonance were fitted to an equivalent circuit model (BVD circuit) and parameters relating to film thickness and viscosity were extracted. LabVIEW software was used to control the experimental setup and curve fitting. (ZnPc) films with a range of different substitutes were studied. Additionally, characterization of the film properties has been carried out using parameters obtained from QCM measurements in conjunction with suitable data analysis and modeling techniques. Validation of the film properties has been established (thickness and structure) using complementary existing methods such as AFM and Ellipsometry.