A 3.0 μs room temperature excited state lifetime of a bistridentate RuII-polypyridine complex for rod-like molecular arrays

A bistridentate RuII-polypyridine complex [Ru(bqp)2]2+ (bqp = 2,6-bis(8′-quinolinyl)pyridine) has been prepared, which has a coordination geometry much closer to a perfect octahedron than the typical Ru(terpyridine)2-type complex. Thus, the complex displays a 3.0 μs lifetime of the lowest excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) state at room temperature. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the longest MLCT state lifetime reported for a RuII-polypyridyl complex at room temperature. The structure allows for the future construction of rod-like, isomer-free molecular arrays by substitution of donor and acceptor moieties on the central pyridine units. This makes it a promising photosensitizer for applications in molecular devices for artificial photosynthesis and molecular electronics. Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society.