Photo- and Redox-Active Metal Dendrimers: A Journey from Molecular Design to Applications and Self-Aggregated Systems

The scientific adventure starting from simple dinuclear ruthenium(II) complexes and leading to the design, preparation, and study of photo- and redox-active polynuclear metal dendrimers capable of performing useful photo-driven processes is reviewed through decades of activity. The recent applications of luminescent metal dendrimers in the field of artificial photosynthesis - in particular as far as the photochemical water oxidation process is concerned - and their very recently revealed self-aggregating properties, including concentration-dependent photoinduced energy transfer, are also shown.