A new strategy for the improvement of photophysical properties in ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes. Synthesis and photophysical and electrochemical characterization of six mononuclear ruthenium(II) bisterpyridine-type complexes

The synthesis and characterization of six ruthenium(II) bistridentate polypyridyl complexes is described. These were designed on the basis of a new approach to increase the excited-state lifetime of ruthenium(II) bisterpyridine-type complexes. By the use of a bipyridylpyridyl methane ligand in place of terpyridine, the coordination environment of the metal ion becomes nearly octahedral and the rate of deactivation via ligand-field (i.e., metal-centered) states was reduced as shown by temperature-dependent emission lifetime studies. Still, the possibility to make quasilinear donor-ruthenium-acceptor triads is maintained in the complexes. The most promising complex shows an excited-state lifetime of τ = 15 ns in alcohol solutions at room temperature, which should be compared to a lifetime of τ = 0.25 ns for [Ru(tpy)₂]²⁺. The X-ray structure of the new complex indeed shows a more octahedral geometry than that of [Ru(tpy) ₂]²⁺. Most importantly, the high excited-state energy was retained, and thus, so was the potential high reactivity of the excited complex, which has not been the case with previously published strategies based on bistridentate complexes.