[Ru(bpy) <sub>3</sub> ] <sup>2+</sup> : The Ongoing Story of a Photochemical Icon

Bourgois, Céline;Troian-Gautier, Ludovic;Kitzmann, Winald
(2026) Inorganic Chemistry — Vol. 65, n° 14, p. 7549-7577 (2026)

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  • Bourgois, Célineorcid-logoInstitute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (IMCN), Molecular Chemistry, Materials and Catalysis (MOST), UCLouvain, Place Louis Pasteur 1/L4.01.02, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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  • Troian-Gautier, Ludovicorcid-logoInstitute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (IMCN), Molecular Chemistry, Materials and Catalysis (MOST), UCLouvain, Place Louis Pasteur 1/L4.01.02, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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  • Kitzmann, Winaldorcid-logoChemistry Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar St, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Abstract
[Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ has long served as the archetypal coordination complex for probing inorganic photophysics and photochemistry. Its intense visible MLCT absorption, quantitative intersystem crossing, and microsecond 3 MLCT lifetime established it as a benchmark photosensitizer across energy conversion, sensing, and catalysis. This review complements a recent historical perspective on [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ by providing a contemporary view of its use as a versatile platform for advanced photochemical design. We first discuss updated views of its excited-state landscape, including refined descriptions of metal-centered states, minimum-energy crossing points, and photodissociation pathways, as well as the profound influence of counterions and microenvironments on excited-state energetics, stability, and reactivity. We then survey emerging applications, multiphoton solvated electron generation, mechanochemical ball-mill photoredox catalysis, and spin-forbidden red-light excitation. Next, we examine polynuclear complexes and dyads derived from the [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ scaffold, emphasizing delocalized and antidissipative 3 MLCT states, long-lived charge separation, and integration into biohybrid or supramolecular architectures. Finally, we outline "real-life" applications in industrial photoredox chemistry, electrochemilumi-nescence immunoassays, oxygen sensing, and photodynamic therapy, and we position [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ alongside emerging photosensitizers based on earth-abundant metals. Rather than being superseded, [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ now functions as both a robust technological workhorse and an indispensable reference for next-generation photocatalyst design.
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Bourgois, C., Troian-Gautier, L., & Kitzmann, W. (2026). [Ru(bpy) <sub>3</sub> ] <sup>2+</sup> : The Ongoing Story of a Photochemical Icon. Inorganic Chemistry, 65(14), 7549-7577. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6c00560 (Original work published 2026)