[{RuCl3(dppb)}2(µ-4,4'-bipy)] was prepared from the reaction of the 4,4'-bipyridine and mer-[RuCl3(dppb)].H2O, in good yield. The characteristics of the binuclear complex studied with FT-IR, UV-Vis, EPR and elemental analysis were similar to those of the [RuCl3(dppb)L] (L= N-heterocycle). [{RuCl3(dppb)}2(µ-4,4'-bipy)] is soluble in weakly polar organic solvents, facilitating its use in the production of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films production. While the cast films and the complex in solution were red, the LB films were green-bluish, probably due to oxidation of the bisphosphine. The nanostructured nature of the LB films was manifested in electrochemical measurements, as these films exhibited higher peak currents than cast or dip-coated films. For all films, the electrochemical response was dominated by the RuIII RuIII/RuII RuII process, which differed from that of the binuclear compound. For the latter, an irreversible process appeared due to formation of new species. The electroactivity of LB films from [{RuCl3(dppb)}2(µ-4,4'-bipy)] also pointed to their possible use in electrochemical devices.
binuclear ruthenium complexes; bipyridine; Langmuir-Blodgett films; thin films
