Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Helical Porphyrin Nanotubes

We report polarized resonance Raman data of tetrakis(4-sulfonato)phenyl porphyrin (TSPP) aggregates in solution and deposited on Au(111) at wavelengths resonant with the red-shifted (J-band) and blue-shifted (H-band) components of the split Soret (B) band. We also report scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images which reveal that the aggregate on Au(111) is a nanotube with a 2 nm wall thickness which tends to flatten on the substrate. Relative Raman intensities and their dependence on polarization of the incident and scattered light are found to vary greatly for H- and J-band excitation, revealing a much greater degree of coherence for the J-band, in agreement with the resonance light scattering spectrum. The J-band transition is found to have transition moment components both parallel and perpendicular to the long axis of the nanotube, consistent with a helical nanotube structure. The intensity increase of the Q-band on aggregation and the weak intensity of the H-band in both the absorption and the resonance light scattering spectra are explained by vibronic B-Q coupling, which is permitted in the lowered site symmetry of the aggregate. The resonance Raman data presented here provide insight into the molecular basis for the hierarchal structure of the aggregate.