Towards organometallic conducting polymers containing bis-cyclometallating bridging ligands

One dimensional polymeric structures (rods and wires) incorporating capping ends with either electron or accepting properties will be prepared and their electric and photophysical properties studied. The capping ends are based on metal centres held in bis-cyclometallating ligands with tuneable electronic and steric requirements and are connected to each other by delocalised aromatic bridges. Properties expected for the new one-dimensional metal (ruthenium) polymers is directional electron-transfer allowing fabrication of molecular organometallic diodes. The project comprises co-operation between two European groups and brings together expertise of very different nature. The first results of this project comprise the synthesis of diruthenium species in which two Ru-atoms are bridged by -(C6H4)n, n = 2 ,3 ,4 keeping the Ru-atoms 11-to-20 Å apart. These compounds show in the mixed-valence state to undergo fast electron transfer, see joint publication Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 33 (1993) 1282