Application of terpyridyl ligands to tune the optical and electrochemical properties of a conducting polymer

We present a simple and effective way of using metal and metal–ligand modifications to tune the electrochemical and optical properties of conducting polymers. To that end, a polyterthiophene functionalized with terpyridine moieties was synthesized and then the resulting film's surface or bulk was modified with different metal ions, namely Fe(2+), Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) and terpyridine. The modification of the terpyridine functionalized polyterthiophene film by Fe(2+) increased the absorptivity and electrochemical capacitance of the conducting polymer, and improved its conjugation. Further modification by Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) resulted in dramatically different spectroelectrochemical properties of the film. Moreover, the influence of the solvents (ACN and 1 : 1 ACN : H(2)O) in conjunction with the metal ion applied for the modification was found crucial for the electrochemical and optical properties of the films.