NEW ELECTROACTIVE 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 functi onal 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 Infra red dye 125 were successfully incorporated into self-assembled multila yer heterostructures. Uniform and well defined multilayer films were a lso prepared using newly synthesized ionic ruthenium(II) polypyridyl c omplexes and related polymers. Multilayers containing these ionic ruth enium based complexes have been utilized to fabricate light emitting d evices. The fabrication and evaluation of new heterostructure thin fil m devices based on these light emitting materials are discussed as wel l as the properties of other multilayer thin films containing dye mole cules.