Hole burning properties of aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate in various inorganic hosts with and without water addition

The earlier discovery by G.J. Small and his group of the hole-burning properties of aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (AlPT) in hyper quenched water encouraged us to look for other suitable hosts in which such properties could be preserved. We have evaluated the non-photochemical hole-burning behavior of AlPT in various hosts: dense inorganic or hybrid xerogels, light aerogels and porous glasses (Vycor) soaked with dye doped water. Zero-phonon holewidth, linear electron–phonon coupling and kinetics of hole growth are measured. Persistent spectral holes with a hole HWHM of about 9 cm−1 can be burnt at 80 K in the porous host.