ELECTROCHEMICAL ELABORATION OF THIN-FILMS OF POLY[RUII(L)(CO)2CL2] (L = 4-(2-PYRROL-1-YLETHYL)-4'-METHYL-2,2'-BIPYRIDINE OR 4,4'-BIS((3-PYRROL-1-YLPROPYLOXY)CARBONYL)-2,2'-BIPYRIDINE) - PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND PHOTOIMAGING

Thin films of poly[Ru(L)(CO)2Cl2] complexes (L = 4-(2-pyrrol-1-ylethyl)-4'-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine (L1) or 4,4'-bis((3-pyrrol-1-ylpropyloxy)carbonyl)-2,2'-bipyridine (L2)) have been prepared by anodic electropolymerization of the corresponding monomeric complexes on platinum and indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of these films have been investigated in CH3CN. Photolysis at 366 nm of the films immersed in CH3CN leads to successive photosubstitutions of the two CO ligands and of the one Cl- ligand by CH3CN for the poly complex with L = L1 while only the first two photosubstitutions occur for L = L2. On the basis of the photochemistry (mono-CH3CN photosubstitution essentially), images can be created in the films by using masking techniques. In a subsequent step, the unphotolyzed area can be removed from the electrode surface by electrolysis. This procedure left a spacially controlled image of the original mask as a film of poly[Ru(L)(CO)(CH3CN)Cl2].