Well-defined ruthenium-coordinated block copolymers of 2-vinylpyridine with 2-(N-Carbazolyl)ethyl methacrylate and their optical properties

In order to study the energy-transfer phenomenon in ruthenium-coordinated polymers, novel block copolymers from carbazolylethyl methacrylate and 2-vinylpyridine were prepared by living anionic polymerization; the copolymers possessed varying repeating units and had the desired molecular weight and a narrow-molecular-weight distribution. The ruthenium-coordinated block copolymers were formed by reacting [RuII(tpy)(dmbpy)Cl] with the polymers, in which the pyridine units acted as ligands. Photoluminescence and optical absorption measurements of the coordinated block copolymers were carried out to observe the energy transfer in the complexes. The energy transfer from the carbazole blocks to the ruthenium-coordinated blocks might take place either by an intra- and/or an intermolecular energy-transfer mechanism. From the optical absorption, photoluminescence, and electroluminescence studies, it was observed that the ease of the energy transfer increased with an increasing number of metal-complex units.