ABSTRACT:The singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) quantum yield of the near-infrared absorbing (l max = 839 nm) planar p-conjugated binuclear zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) was measured and compared to the 1 O 2 quantum yields of the mononuclear and the planar binuclear phthalocyanine without p-conjugation between Pc rings. In addition, the photooxidative stability of the p-conjugated binuclear Pc was determined and compared to the stabilities of the mononuclear ZnPc and the known near-infrared photosensitizer, zinc tetra-tert-butylnaphthalocyanine (l max = 761 nm). The results are explained by DFT calculations and cyclic voltammetry.