Applications of highly luminescent transition metal complexes in polymer systems

Advances in understanding the photophysics and photochemistry of transition metal complexes offer opportunities to utilize these materials as luminescence sensors and probes. However, heterogeneity has an enormous effect on luminescence, quenching, and photochemistry. An intimate understanding of the detailed interactions between the complexes and their environment will be necessary before the rational design of new high performance sensors and probes can be achieved. Such understanding is fairly well established for homogeneous media, but it is still in its infancy in solid supports (surfaces and polymers). We present case studies involving luminescent metal complexes bound to a variety of polymer systems. Both their potential and the difficulties inherent in these composite systems are presented. We discuss tools that have proved useful or are likely to be valuable in unraveling these complex systems.