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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)2-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 (kapp) was measured for the electron hopping process via
potential-step chronoamperometry. As a result, the kapp 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.