New electro-active self-assembled multilayer thin films based on alternately adsorbed layers of polyelectrolytes and functional dye molecules

The layer-by-layer self-assembly of a number of quite different functional dye molecules has been accomplished via the alternate spontaneous adsorption of polyelectrolytes and ionic dyes from dilute solutions. Combinations of different functional dyes such as Ponceau SS and Infrared dye 125 were successfully incorporated into self-assembled multilayer heterostructures. Uniform and well defined multilayer films were also prepared using newly synthesized ionic ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes and related polymers. Multilayers containing these ionic ruthenium based complexes have been utilized to fabricate light emitting devices. The fabrication and evaluation of new heterostructure thin film devices based on these light emitting materials are discussed as well as the properties of other multilayer thin films containing dye molecules.