Electrochemical Control of the Luminescent Lifetime of Ru(bpy)32+* Incorporated in Nafion Films on Graphite Electrodes

Abstract

The formal potential of the Ru(bpy)33+/2+redox couple incorporated in a Nafion film was measured spectroelectrochemically. An electrochemical (Stern-Volmer) method is presented that can be used to determine the rate of quenching of the luminescence of one half of a redox couple by the other half. The method is also shown to give qualitative information about cases in which the quenching is by an independent redox couple. The kinetics of the quenching process yield information on the Nafion film structure. The magnitude of the rate constant for quenching of the Ru(bpy)32+excited state by Ru(bpy)33+is used to elucidate the mechanism of production of this excited state in the electrochemiluminescent reaction of Ru(bpy)33+with oxalate. © 1982, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.