Design and synthesis of ruthenium(II)-bipyridyl-containing polymers

A series of novel π-conjugated polymers containing ruthenium bipyridine complexes have been synthesized by a cross-coupling reaction and characterized. These polymers exhibit absorption maxima at around 330 - 350 nm (π-π*) and 460-500 nm (MLCT) respectively. They are soluble in common organic solvents and all polymers can be converted into transparent films. We investigated the influence of different donating and acceptor diethynylarenes on the UV/Vis spectra. The oxidation potentials, which have been measured by cyclic- and square-wave voltammetry, show a typical Ru 2+/3+ exhibiting at around + 1.26 V vs. SCE and an additional peak for triphenylamine containing polymers (+ 1.07 V C4c ). The polymers were further characterized with photoluminescence measurements. When excited at 442 nm ( C2 ), the polymer showed an emission peak at 690 nm. This peak is attributed to the MLCT states.