Enhancement of Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Self-Assembled
Polymer Films Using Mixed Metal–Terpyridine Complexes
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Abstract
The design and synthesis of photoactive
polymeric systems are important
in regard to solar energy harvesting and utilization. In this report,
we synthesized photoactive polymeric thin films via iterative self-assembly
using reversible metal–terpyridine (M–tpy) interactions.
The growth rate of thin film deposition depends on the metal ion of
choice. Ru(II)(tpy)<sub>2</sub>-incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol) also
functionalized with tpy was subjected to iterative self-assembly on
glass substrates. UV–vis spectroscopy and surface profilometer
investigations show that the polymeric thin films with Cu(II) grew
2 times faster than those with Zn(II), attributed to the strong M–tpy
interaction. Interestingly, photocurrent generated in the polymeric
thin films with Zn(II) was much higher than those of other films.
The apparent diffusion rate constant (<i>k</i><sub>app</sub>) was measured for the electron hopping process via potential-step
chronoamperometry. As a result, the <i>k</i><sub>app</sub> for the polymeric thin films with Zn(II) was almost 2 times larger
than those with other metal ions. The choice of metal ions appears
crucial in the mixed metal–tpy complex systems not only for
the film growth but also for the efficient photoinduced electron transfer
