Conjugated metallopolymers. Redox polymers with interacting metal based redox sites

Hybrid materials which combine the electronic conductivity of conjugated polymers and the redox and optical properties of metal complexes are being developed to take advantage of synergistic electronic interactions. Many systems show a splitting of the metal redox wave analogous to that in dinuclear complexes with through-ligand metal-metal interactions (superexchange). The influence of the conjugated backbone on electron transport between metal centres has been the focus of much work, and the existence of a superexchange pathway has been demonstrated. Several systems have been shown to exhibit catalytic and photocatalytic activities, and a number of applications in sensors have been described.