CHARACTERIZATION OF METALLOPOLYMER FILMS FROM REDUCTIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL POLYMERIZATION OF A DINUCLEAR COBALT COMPLEX

A dinuclear Co(II) complex with pyrrole substituents has been found to undergo reductive polymerization but does not polymerize under oxidiz ing conditions. The polymerization occurs on a variety of substrate el ectrode materials. It involves cleavage of the pyrrole rings from the complex and therefore represents a new method for the generation of el ectropolymerized metallopolymer films. The resulting polymer is porous and can be reversibly reduced at a formal potential of ca. - 1.5 V/SS CE. It becomes electronically conductive when reduced and is electroch romic. The potential dependence of its electronic spectrum and the obs ervation that reduction at -1.8 V involves the gain of only 0.5 electr ons per dinuclear Co unit suggest that its electrochemistry involves d elocalized orbitals.