A photoinduced electron transfer system involving the tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium complex, methylviologen and trithiocyanuric acid was constructed and used to induce a disulfide polymer on the electrode photochemically. Since the resulting polymer on the electrode can be depolymerized electrochemically, this system can be used for rewritable image formation. Furthermore, it was found that positively charged molecules were immobilized on the electrode by electrostatic bonding with the deprotonated mercapto groups on the disulfide polymer. These results indicate that a marked patterning of positively charged functional molecules on the disulfide polymer is possible using this photopolymerization system. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.