Ruthenium (II) complexes are used extensively in photoelectrochemical and photophysical devices, such as Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). The use of Cu(I) as a possible replacement for Ru(II) has to date had limited exploration, but has obvious advantages in terms of low cost and high abundance. However, Cu(I) typically undergoes conformational change from tetrahedral towards square planar upon oxidation or MLCT excitation, often leading to reduced stability, reduced electron transfer rates and reduced excited state lifetime, thus impairing useful function. Typically, steric constraints are used to prevent this; however these can often be synthetically intensive, involving multi-step and low yielding synthetic pathways. In this work, we explore “blocking” functionality using two different ligands combined with a range of bipyridyl ligands with varying substituent groups. The study has looked into the synthesis of heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes of the general formula: [Cu(POP)(bipyridyl)][BF4], where POP = bis[2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl] ether, and [Cu(pmppE)(bipyridyl)], where pmppE = hydrazono pyrazol-5-thiones(one). The work presented in this thesis focuses on the synthesis, and subsequent photoelectrochemical and photophysical characterisation of Cu(I) complexes, yielding results that open new avenues for design of functional Cu(I) systems. Solar cell testing also revealed photovoltages comparable to those of existing Cu(I) DSSC sensitisers. An extensive spectroscopic study of [Cu(POP)(dmbpy)]+ and [Cu(POP)(tmbpy)]+ has revealed the latter to have the significantly larger quantum yield: 65 % and 4% respectively in PMMA at 300 K. A complimentary computational investigation was carried out in order to gain a better understanding of how structural rigidity affects emission properties.

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This research work has investigated the electrochemistry of glutathione (GSH)and homocysteine (HCSH) in order to develop sensors for these biological thiols.Ru(bpy)33+ and IrCl62− have been used as mediators for the electrooxidation of GSH andHCSH because direct oxidation of these thiols is slow at most conventional electrodes.The electrochemical detection of GSH and HCSH has been pursued because of their biological roles. Concerted proton electron transfer (CPET) and stepwise proton electron transfer(PT/ET) pathways have been observed in the electrooxidation of GSH and HCSH.Oxidation of GSH by Ru(bpy)33+ carried out in deuterated and undeuterated buffered (pH= pD = 5.0) and unbuffered solutions (pH = pD 5.0−9.0) indicates a CPET pathway. AtpH 7.0 buffered solution, the involvement of the buffer was obvious, with rate increasing as the buffer concentration increases − an indication of a general base catalysis. The oxidation of GSH by IrCl62− follows through CPET at pH 7.0 when the optimum concentration of the buffer is established. The plot of the rate vs. buffer concentration gave a curvature at lower buffer concentration and then a plateau at higher concentration,which implies a change in the rate determining step as the buffer concentration increases.At lower buffer concentration, proton transfer was seen to be the rate determining step asthe reduction current increases upon scan rate increase. In the oxidation of HCSH by IrCl62−, CPET was observed at pH = pD values of7.0 and 8.0, whereas PT/ET was seen at pH = pD values of 9.0 and 10. Increase in the buffer concentration at pH 7.0 revealed the contribution of the buffer, in that, the oxidation proceeds more efficiently, seeing that the catalytic peak current shifts more negatively and the peak broadness diminishes. Increase in the temperature for the electrooxidation of HCSH resulted in increase in the rate.