Conjugated polymers bipyridine ligand incorporation

As with other polymers, the metal complex may be part of the polymer backbone, or attached to the backbone by a conjugated linker. Investigations into the conjugated polymers have been assisted by studies of model complexes.44 Polythiophenes incorporating organometallic complexes are discussed first, followed by those incorporating other coordination complexes with bipyridine, terpyridine, Schiff base, and other ligands. 

Diimine-based ligands such as bipyridine have been used widely as ligands for transition metals. Their conjugated structure makes them attractive candidates for incorporation directly into a conjugated polymer backbone. In this configuration, metal centers that are coordinated by the diimine are strongly electronically coupled to the polymer. 

The electropolymerization method of functional monomers has proved successful in many cases, in particular to incorporate various ligands and their metallic complexes, like salen [66,245], porphyrin [246], diphosphine [247], pyridine [71,80,248,249], crown ether [250,251], metallofullerene [252], tetraazacyclotetradecane [253], or Prussian blue type [254] in a conjugated organic material like PPy, PTh, or PANE Thick films are likely to be obtained provided that the polymer is redox active at the deposition potential due to this, Zotti et al. demonstrated that 5,5 -bis(3,4-(ethylenedioxy)thien-2-yl)-2,2 -bipyridine could be electropolymerized when complexed by iron and ruthenium, but not in the case of complexation by nickel or copper [71]. 

---