@article{ShalomGuttentagFettkenhaueretal.2014,
  author    = {Shalom, Menny and Guttentag, Miguel and Fettkenhauer, Christian and Inal, Sahika and Neher, Dieter and Llobet, Antoni and Antonietti, Markus},
  title     = {In situ formation of heterojunctions in modified graphitic carbon nitride: synthesis and noble metal free photocatalysis},
  series = {Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society},
  volume    = {26},
  journal   = {Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society},
  number    = {19},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0897-4756},
  doi       = {10.1021/cm503258z},
  pages     = {5812 -- 5818},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Herein, we report the facile synthesis of an efficient roll-like carbon nitride (C3N4) photocatalyst for hydrogen production using a supramolecular complex composed of cyanuric acid, melamine, and barbituric acid as the starting monomers. Optical and photocatalytic investigations show, along with the known red shift of absorption into the visible region, that the insertion of barbituric acid results in the in situ formation of in-plane heterojuctions, which enhance the charge separation process under illumination. Moreover, platinum as the standard cocatalyst in photocatalysis could be successfully replaced with first row transition metal salts and complexes under retention of 50\% of the catalytic activity. Their mode of deposition and interaction with the semiconductor was studied in detail. Utilization of the supramolecular approach opens new opportunities to manipulate the charge transfer process within carbon nitride with respect to the design of a more efficient carbon nitride photocatalyst with controlled morphology and optical properties.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ShalomInalNeheretal.2014,
  author    = {Shalom, Menny and Inal, Sahika and Neher, Dieter and Antonietti, Markus},
  title     = {SiO2/carbon nitride composite materials: The role of surfaces for enhanced photocatalysis},
  series = {Catalysis today : a serial publication dealing with topical themes in catalysis and related subjects},
  volume    = {225},
  journal   = {Catalysis today : a serial publication dealing with topical themes in catalysis and related subjects},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0920-5861},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.cattod.2013.12.013},
  pages     = {185 -- 190},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The effect of SiO2 nanoparticles on carbon nitride (C3N4) photoactivity performance is described. The composite SiO2-C3N4 materials exhibit a higher activity in the photo degradation of RhB dye. A detailed analysis of the chemical and optical properties of the composite C3N4 materials shows that the photo activity increases with higher SiO2 concentration. We found out that the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles strongly affects the fluorescence intensity of the matrix and life time by the creation of new energy states for charge transfer within the C3N4. Furthermore, the use of SiO2 in the synthesis of C3N4 leads to new morphology with higher surface area which results in another, secondary improvement of C3N4 photoactivity. The effect of different surfaces within C3N4 on its chemical and electronic properties is discussed and a tentative mechanism is proposed. The utilization of SiO2 nanoparticles improves both photophysical and chemical properties of C3N4 and opens new possibilities for further enhancement of C3N4 catalytic properties by the formation of composites with many other materials.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WirthNeumannAntoniettietal.2014,
  author    = {Wirth, Jonas and Neumann, Rainer and Antonietti, Markus and Saalfrank, Peter},
  title     = {Adsorption and photocatalytic splitting of water on graphitic carbon nitride: a combined first principles and semiempirical study},
  series = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies},
  number    = {30},
  publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry},
  address   = {Cambridge},
  issn      = {1463-9076},
  doi       = {10.1039/c4cp02021a},
  pages     = {15917 -- 15926},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Graphitic carbon nitride, g-C3N4, is a promising organic photo-catalyst for a variety of redox reactions. In order to improve its efficiency in a systematic manner, however, a fundamental understanding of the microscopic interaction between catalyst, reactants and products is crucial. Here we present a systematic study of water adsorption on g-C3N4 by means of density functional theory and the density functional based tight-binding method as a prerequisite for understanding photocatalytic water splitting. We then analyze this prototypical redox reaction on the basis of a thermodynamic model providing an estimate of the overpotential for both water oxidation and H+ reduction. While the latter is found to occur readily upon irradiation with visible light, we derive a prohibitive overpotential of 1.56 eV for the water oxidation half reaction, comparing well with the experimental finding that in contrast to H-2 production O-2 evolution is only possible in the presence of oxidation cocatalysts.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WirthNeumannAntoniettietal.2014,
  author    = {Wirth, Jonas and Neumann, Rainer and Antonietti, Markus and Saalfrank, Peter},
  title     = {Adsorption and photocatalytic splitting of water on graphitic carbon nitride},
  series = {physical chemistry, chemical physics : PCCP},
  volume    = {2014},
  journal   = {physical chemistry, chemical physics : PCCP},
  number    = {16},
  issn      = {1463-9076},
  doi       = {10.1039/c4cp02021a},
  pages     = {15917 -- 15926},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Graphitic carbon nitride, g-C₃N₄, is a promising organic photo-catalyst for a variety of redox reactions. In order to improve its efficiency in a systematic manner, however, a fundamental understanding of the microscopic interaction between catalyst, reactants and products is crucial. Here we present a systematic study of water adsorption on g-C₃N₄ by means of density functional theory and the density functional based tight-binding method as a prerequisite for understanding photocatalytic water splitting. We then analyze this prototypical redox reaction on the basis of a thermodynamic model providing an estimate of the overpotential for both water oxidation and H⁺ reduction. While the latter is found to occur readily upon irradiation with visible light, we derive a prohibitive overpotential of 1.56 eV for the water oxidation half reaction, comparing well with the experimental finding that in contrast to H₂ production O₂ evolution is only possible in the presence of oxidation cocatalysts.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{XuBrennerChabanneetal.2014,
  author    = {Xu, Jingsan and Brenner, Thomas J. K. and Chabanne, Laurent and Neher, Dieter and Antonietti, Markus and Shalom, Menny},
  title     = {Liquid-Based growth of polymeric carbon nitride layers and their use in a mesostructured polymer solar cell with V-oc exceeding 1 V},
  series = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  volume    = {136},
  journal   = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  number    = {39},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0002-7863},
  doi       = {10.1021/ja508329c},
  pages     = {13486 -- 13489},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {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.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{XuBrennerChenetal.2014,
  author    = {Xu, Jingsan and Brenner, Thomas J. K. and Chen, Zupeng and Neher, Dieter and Antonietti, Markus and Shalom, Menny},
  title     = {Upconversion-agent induced improvement of g-C3N4 photocatalyst under visible light},
  series = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {ACS applied materials \& interfaces},
  number    = {19},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {1944-8244},
  doi       = {10.1021/am5051263},
  pages     = {16481 -- 16486},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Herein, we report the use of upconversion agents to modify graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) by direct thermal condensation of a mixture of ErCl3 center dot 6H(2)O and the supramolecular precursor cyanuric acid-melamine. We show the enhancement of g-C3N4 photoactivity after Er3+ doping by monitoring the photodegradation of Rhodamine B dye under visible light. The contribution of the upconversion agent is demonstrated by measurements using only a red laser. The Er3+ doping alters both the electronic and the chemical properties of g-C3N4. The Er3+ doping reduces emission intensity and lifetime, indicating the formation of new, nonradiative deactivation pathways, probably involving charge-transfer processes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZhaoDunlopQiuetal.2014,
  author    = {Zhao, Qiang and Dunlop, John William Chapman and Qiu, Xunlin and Huang, Feihe and Zhang, Zibin and Heyda, Jan and Dzubiella, Joachim and Antonietti, Markus and Yuan, Jiayin},
  title     = {An instant multi-responsive porous polymer actuator driven by solvent molecule sorption},
  series = {Nature Communications},
  volume    = {5},
  journal   = {Nature Communications},
  publisher = {Nature Publ. Group},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2041-1723},
  doi       = {10.1038/ncomms5293},
  pages     = {8},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Fast actuation speed, large-shape deformation and robust responsiveness are critical to synthetic soft actuators. A simultaneous optimization of all these aspects without trade-offs remains unresolved. Here we describe porous polymer actuators that bend in response to acetone vapour (24 kPa, 20 degrees C) at a speed of an order of magnitude faster than the state-of-the-art, coupled with a large-scale locomotion. They are meanwhile multi-responsive towards a variety of organic vapours in both the dry and wet states, thus distinctive from the traditional gel actuation systems that become inactive when dried. The actuator is easy-to-make and survives even after hydrothermal processing (200 degrees C, 24 h) and pressing-pressure (100 MPa) treatments. In addition, the beneficial responsiveness is transferable, being able to turn 'inert' objects into actuators through surface coating. This advanced actuator arises from the unique combination of porous morphology, gradient structure and the interaction between solvent molecules and actuator materials.},
  language  = {en}
}