Abstract: | In order to study the role of viologen-containing vinyl polymers in light energy conversion systems, the photoreduction of the polymer by 2-propanol and the properties of the reduced polymer were studied in comparison with methylviologen. There were marked polymer effects in the initial rate of photoreduction as well as in the absorption spectra of the photoreduced species. Both effects were interpreted in terms of the local concentration effect of viologen units in the photoreduction step. The spectral difference was found to be due to the dimeric association of the reduced viologen units on the polymer. |