Reshaping Ru Polypyridyl Photochemistry with Choline-Geranate (CAGE) Ionic Liquids

Choline-geranate (CAGE) ionic liquids are emerging as powerful topical delivery media, yet their impact on the photochemistry of metal-based phototherapeutics remains unexplored. Here we show that CAGE ILs can substantially reshape the excited-state landscape of Ru polypyridyl complexes, promoting ligand photorelease in a prototypical PDT scaffold while preserving the expected behaviour of photo-labile and photo-inert analogues. These findings highlight CAGE ILs as both an enabling delivery platform and an active medium that can tune Ru photoreactivity, with implications for designing PDT and photoactivated chemotherapy strategies.