A Heteroleptic Bis(tridentate)ruthenium(II) Polypyridine Complex with Improved Photophysical Properties and Integrated Functionalizability

The synthesis and photophysical properties of a ruthenium(II) complex bearing an electron-accepting 2,2′;6′,2′′-terpyridine ligand and an electron-donating N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-dipyridin-2-ylpyridine-2,6-diamine (ddpd) ligand are presented. The heteroleptic complex is easily prepared isomerically pure and features intense low-energy metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption bands and intense room temperature 3MLCT emission with a long 3MLCT lifetime. The favorable photophysical properties are due to the strong ligand field imposed by the ddpd ligand.