Chapters authored
Free-Base and Metal Complexes of 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(NMethyl Pyridinium L)Porphyrin: Catalytic and Therapeutic Properties
Porphyrins are tetrapyrrole macrocycles that can coordinate transition metal ions such as iron, cobalt and magnesium and are able to perform a diversity of functions and applications. In biological systems, these molecules are associated with proteins involved in photosynthesis, cell respiration, cell death, antioxidant defence, among others. The stability and versatile applications of porphyrins inspired the synthesis of derivatives including 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methyl pyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP) that is the object of the present chapter. In synthetic porphyrins such as TMPyP, the catalytic and photochemical properties can be achieved by the coordination with a diversity of central metal ions. In photodynamic therapy (PDT), TMPyP and other porphyrins act as photosensitizers. The photochemical properties of TMPyP and other porphyrins are also useful for the fabrication of solar cells. The catalytic properties require the presence of a central metal. The MnTMPyP have antioxidant activity that is influenced the capacity of membrane binding, substituents, and meso substituents. Manipulation of the interfacial confinement properties is one of the newest application areas of porphyrins. The association of porphyrins with different surfaces modulates the electronic and physicochemical properties of these molecules. All of these properties are the object of experimental and theoretical studies discussed in the present chapter.
Part of the book: Phthalocyanines and Some Current Applications
Technological Applications of Porphyrins and Related Compounds: Spintronics and Micro-/Nanomotors
The vital role played by porphyrins in cells and their use in therapeutic processes are well known. More recently, the technological applications of porphyrins have attracted the attention of researchers. Porphyrins have the property of half-metallic material, i.e., molecules that can host transition metals making feasible the production of spin-polarized electronic states at different channels. Therefore, porphyrins and hemeproteins are among the materials that have spin-filtering property to be applied in spintronics. Molecular spintronics is an emerging and highly relevant field due to their applications to the development of high-capacity information-storage devices and quantum computers. The catalytic properties of porphyrins and related compounds such as the hemeproteins are also applicable in the fabrication of micro-/nanomotors (MNMs). In this chapter, we describe the advances and future perspectives in the technological applications of porphyrins and related compounds in spintronic devices and micro-/nanomotors.
Part of the book: Metastable, Spintronics Materials and Mechanics of Deformable Bodies