A quenched binuclear ruthenium(ii) dimer activated by another photosensitizer

Abstract

A binuclear ruthenium(II) dimer (BiRD) bridged by an alkene linker was synthesized that was labile to reactive oxygen species generated by another photosensitizer. Compared to the monomeric Ru(II) complex, the BiRD had attenuated fluorescence and singlet oxygen production which could be restored by a longer-wavelength photosensitizer. This two-step amplification strategy demonstrates proof-of-principal for photosensitization chain-reactions.