Abstract Since the first discovery of ruthenium element, ruthenium-based alloys, inorganic compounds/coordination compounds have stood out and played important roles as a variety of functional materials. In this paper, the discovery of ruthenium, the applications of ruthenium alloys and inorganic ruthenium compounds, and in particular applications of ruthenium-based coordination complexes as electroluminescent, photoelectric conversion and photoelectrochemical sensing/switching materials, catalysts and anticancer agents are briefly introduced.
