Morphology Control and Photocatalysis Enhancement by the One-Pot Synthesis of Carbon Nitride from Preorganized Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Precursors

We present an efficient synthesis of a modified carbon nitride photocatalyst by using supramolecular complexes of cyanuric acid, melamine, and 2,4-diamino-6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine as precursors. We combined a self-templating approach for morphology control with the modification of photophysical properties by altering the chemical structure of the material. The resulting carbon nitrides exhibit high surface areas, defined morphologies, and a strong enhancement of light absorption in the visible-light region. A detailed analysis shows that the ratio changes of the three raw monomers resulted in different carbon nitride morphologies, absorption, and emission properties, along with the incorporation of different numbers of phenyl groups in the resulting carbon nitride structures. The modified carbon nitrides exhibit superior activity in the photodegradation of rhodamine B, up to 16 times that of bulk carbon nitride. The pyrolysis of rationally chosen supramolecular hydrogen-bonded precursors constitutes a synthetic pathway for the simple one-pot preparation of efficient, metal-free carbon nitride photocatalysts

Liquid-Based Growth of Polymeric Carbon Nitride Layers and Their Use in a Mesostructured Polymer Solar Cell with <i>V</i>_oc Exceeding 1 V

Herein we report a general liquid-mediated pathway for the growth of continuous polymeric carbon nitride (C₃N₄) thin films. The deposition method consists of the use of supramolecular complexes that transform to the liquid state before direct thermal condensation into C₃N₄ solid films. The resulting films exhibit continuous porous C₃N₄ networks on various substrates. Moreover, the optical absorption can be easily tuned to cover the solar spectrum by the insertion of an additional molecule into the starting complex. The strength of the deposition method is demonstrated by the use of the C₃N₄ layer as the electron acceptor in a polymer solar cell that exhibits a remarkable open-circuit voltage exceeding 1 V. The easy, safe, and direct synthesis of carbon nitride in a continuous layered architecture on different functional substrates opens new possibilities for the fabrication of many energy-related devices

Liquid Crystalline Phase Behavior of Well-Defined Cylindrical Block Copolymer Micelles Using Synchrotron Small-Angle X‑ray Scattering

The structure and phase behavior of colloidal solutions of monodisperse rod-shaped micelles, of different lengths (ca. 300–2100 nm) and formed from poly­(ferrocenylsilane)-<i>block</i>-polyisoprene (PFS<i>-<i>b</i>-</i>PI) diblock copolymers, have been investigated using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering. The dimensions of the crystalline PFS core, solvated PI corona, and the overall radial polydispersity were measured, and relationships between the characteristics of the constituent copolymers and the internal structure of the self-assembled micelles have been established. In addition, the effects of micelle length, length distribution, concentration, composition, and block length on the liquid crystalline phase behavior of the micelles have been determined. It was found that micelle dispersions exist in three distinct phases: isotropic, nematic, and hexagonally packed, depending predominantly on their concentration and aspect ratio. The results have also highlighted the importance of the coronal composition and structure in determining the high-concentration behavior of micelle dispersions