Surface-active luminescent transition metal complexes are synthesised, characterised and successfully attached to gold surfaces for the purposes of micropatterning and biomolecular recognition. Monolayers of ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes bearing disulfide moieties display enchanced lifetimes on gold surfaces compared with aerated solution, and are micropatterned through the use of microcontact printing (µCP). The monolayers also display recognition of serum protein bovine serum albumin through surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and time-resolved and steady state luminescence spectroscopy. Mixed monolayers of these respective complexes with commercially available surfactants are studied to provide understanding of nanoparticle systems and their involvement in protein interactions. Cyclodextrin containing transition metal complexes are synthesised and characterised for the purposes of supramolecular micropatterning. Mixed monolayers of ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes bearing cyclodextrin moieties can be attached through directed assembly afforded by the µCP technique. Surface-active cyclodextrin containing transition metal complexes are synthesised and characterised for use in selective biomolecular recognition and stepwise assembly. Monolayers of ruthenium(II) and iridium(III) complexes bearing cyclodextrin and disulfide moieties are shown to be luminescent on gold surfaces, and through stepwise assembly afford a selective recognition motif for the protein streptavidin through luminescence and surface plasmon resonance studies. The results indicate the potential of these systems in reusable functional sensing systems.