Phthalocyanines are versatile building blocks for fabricating materials at the nanometer scale. These colored macrocycles exhibit fascinating physical properties which arise from their delocalized π-electronic structure. This article describes why these molecules are targets for different scientific purposes and technological applications.

Due to their photoproperties and easy chemical functionalisations, phthalocyanines are amongst the most promising advanced photosensitisers for photodynamic therapy of cancer.