Asymmetric zinc phthalocyanines with alkyl chain substituents formed highly efficient light-harvesting layers on a TiO₂ surface. Dye-sensitized solar cells using PcS20 exhibited a record efficiency of 6.4% under one-sun irradiation.

Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using weight-detectable quartz microbalance and silicon-based microcantilever sensors coated with crystalline metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films is described in this paper. The thin films of two MOFs were grown from COOH-terminated self-assembled monolayers onto the gold electrodes of sensor platforms. The MOF layers worked as the effective concentrators of VOC gases and the adsorption/desorption processes of the VOCs could be monitored by the frequency changes of weight-detectable sensors. Moreover, the MOF layers provided VOC sensing selectivity to the weight-detectable sensors through the size-selective adsorption of the VOCs within the regulated nanospace of the MOFs.