A ruthenium polypyridyl complex has been synthesized and examined as an emitter material in thin film electroluminescent devices. This material exhibits photoluminescent and electroluminescent effects as well as several reversible one-electron oxidation and reduction processes. Electroluminescent devices fabricated from this ruthenium complex either via spin coating methods or self-assembly techniques exhibit relatively high electroluminescent efficiencies and luminance levels in some cases as high as 100 cd/m(2). (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.