TY - JOUR A1 - Thiel, Kerstin A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann A1 - Strauch, Peter A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - On the interaction of ascorbic acid and the tetrachlorocuprate ion [CuCl4](2-) in CuCl nanoplatelet formation from an ionic liquid precursor (ILP) JF - Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies N2 - The formation of CuCl nanoplatelets from the ionic liquid precursor (ILP) butylpyridinium tetrachlorocuprate [C4Py](2)[CuCl4] using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent was investigated. In particular, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to evaluate the interaction between ascorbic acid and the Cu(II) ion before reduction to Cu(I). EPR spectroscopy suggests that the [CuCl4](2-) ion in the neat IL is a distorted tetrahedron, consistent with DFT calculations. Addition of ascorbic acid leads to the removal of one chloride from the [CuCl4](2-) anion, as shown by DFT and the loss of symmetry by EPR. DFT furthermore suggests that the most stable adduct is formed when only one hydroxyl group of the ascorbic acid coordinates to the Cu(II) ion. Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c1cp20648f SN - 1463-9076 VL - 13 IS - 30 SP - 13537 EP - 13543 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tentschert, Jutta A1 - Jungnickel, Harald A1 - Reichardt, Philipp A1 - Leube, Peter A1 - Kretzschmar, Bernd A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Luch, A. T1 - Identification of nano clay in composite polymers JF - Surface and interface analysis : an international journal devoted to the development and application of techniques for the analysis surfaces, interfaces and thin films N2 - Industrialized food production is in urgent search for alternative packaging materials, which can serve the requirements of a globalized world in terms of longer product shelf lives, reduced freight weight to decrease transport costs, and better barrier functionality to preserve its freshness. Polymer materials containing organically modified nano clay particles as additives are one example for a new generation of packaging materials with specific barrier functionality to actually hit the market. Clay types used for these applications are aluminosilicates, which belong to the mineral group of phyllosilicates. These consist of nano-scaled thin platelets, which are organically modified with quaternary ammonium compounds acting as spacers between the different clay layers, thereby increasing the hydrophobicity of the mineral additive. A variety of different organically modified clays are already available, and the use as additive for food packaging materials is one important application. To ensure valid risk assessments of emerging nano composite polymers used in the food packaging industry, exact analytical characterization of the organically modified clay within the polymer matrix is of paramount importance. Time-of-flight SIMS in combination with multivariate statistical analysis was used to differentiate modified clay reference materials from another. Time-of-flight SIMS spectra of a reference polymer plate, which contained one specific nano clay composite, were acquired. For each modified clay additive, a set of characteristic diagnostic ions could be identified, which then was used to successfully assign unknown clay additives to the corresponding reference material. Thus, the described methodology could be used to define and characterize nano clay within polymer matrices. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KW - ToF-SIMS KW - nanoparticles KW - nano clay KW - polymer KW - food contact material Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.5546 SN - 0142-2421 SN - 1096-9918 VL - 46 SP - 334 EP - 336 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Goebel, Ronald A1 - Hesemann, Peter A1 - Friedrich, Alwin A1 - Rothe, Regina A1 - Schlaad, Helmut A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Modular thiol-ene chemistry approach towards mesoporous silica monoliths with organically modified pore walls JF - Chemistry - a European journal N2 - The surface modification of mesoporous silica monoliths through thiol-ene chemistry is reported. First, mesoporous silica monoliths with vinyl, allyl, and thiol groups were synthesized through a sol-gel hydrolysis-poly-condensation reaction from tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) and vinyltriethoxysilane, allyltriethoxysilane, and (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane, respectively. By variation of the molar ratio of the comonomers TMOS and functional silane, mesoporous silica objects containing different amounts of vinyl, allyl, and thiol groups were obtained. These intermediates can subsequently be derivatized through radical photoaddition reactions either with a thiol or an olefin, depending on the initial pore wall functionality, to yield silica monoliths with different pore-wall chemistries. Nitrogen sorption, small-angle X-ray scattering, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and redox titration demonstrate that the synthetic pathway influences the morphology and pore characteristics of the resulting monoliths and also plays a significant role in the efficiency of functionalization. Moreover, the different reactivity of the vinyl and allyl groups on the pore wall affects the addition reaction, and hence, the degree of the pore-wall functionalization. This report demonstrates that thiol-ene photoaddition reactions are a versatile platform for the generation of a large variety of organically modified silica monoliths with different pore surfaces. KW - mesoporous materials KW - photochemistry KW - sol-gel processes KW - surface chemistry Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201403982 SN - 0947-6539 SN - 1521-3765 VL - 20 IS - 52 SP - 17579 EP - 17589 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Winter, Alette A1 - Thiel, Kerstin A1 - Zabel, Andre A1 - Klamroth, Tillmann A1 - Poeppl, Andreas A1 - Kelling, Alexandra A1 - Schilde, Uwe A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Strauch, Peter T1 - Tetrahalidocuprates(II) - structure and EPR spectroscopy. Part 2: tetrachloridocuprates(II) JF - New journal of chemistry N2 - We present and discuss the results of crystallographic and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic analyses of five tetrachloridocuprate(II) complexes to supply a useful tool for the structural characterisation of the [CuCl4](2-) moiety in the liquid state, for example in ionic liquids, or in solution. Bis(benzyltriethylammonium)-, bis(trimethylphenylammonium)-, bis(ethyltriphenylphosphonium)-, bis(benzyltriphenylphosphonium)-, and bis(tetraphenylarsonium) tetrachloridocuprate(II) were synthesised and characterised by elemental, IR, EPR and X-ray analyses. The results of the crystallographic analyses show distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry of all [CuCl4](2-) anions in the five complexes and prove that all investigated complexes are stabilised by hydrogen bonds of different intensities. Despite the use of sterically demanding ammonium, phosphonium and arsonium cations to obtain the separation of the paramagnetic Cu(II) centres for EPR spectroscopy no hyperfine structure was observed in the EPR spectra but the principal values of the electron Zeeman tensor, g(parallel to) and g(perpendicular to), could be determined. With these EPR data and the crystallographic parameters we were able to carry out a correlation study to anticipate the structural situation of tetrachloridocuprates in different physical states. This correlation is in good agreement with DFT calculations. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c3nj01039b SN - 1144-0546 SN - 1369-9261 VL - 38 IS - 3 SP - 1019 EP - 1030 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leroux, Fabrice A1 - Rabu, Pierre A1 - Sommerdijk, Nico A. J. M. A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Two-Dimensional Hybrid Materials: Transferring Technology from Biology to Society JF - European journal of inorganic chemistry : a journal of ChemPubSoc Europe N2 - Hybrid materials are at the forefront of modern research and technology; hence a large number of publications on hybrid materials has already appeared in the scientific literature. This essay focuses on the specifics and peculiarities of hybrid materials based on two-dimensional (2D) building blocks and confinements, for two reasons: (1) 2D materials have a very broad field of application, but they also illustrate many of the scientific challenges the community faces, both on a fundamental and an application level; (2) all authors of this essay are involved in research on 2D materials, but their perspective and vision of how the field will develop in the future and how it is possible to benefit from these new developments are rooted in very different scientific subfields. The current article will thus present a personal, yet quite broad, account of how hybrid materials, specifically 2D hybrid materials, will provide means to aid modern societies in fields as different as healthcare and energy. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.201500153 SN - 1434-1948 SN - 1099-0682 IS - 7 SP - 1089 EP - 1095 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hentrich, Doreen A1 - Junginger, Mathias A1 - Bruns, Michael A1 - Boerner, Hans G. A1 - Brandt, Jessica A1 - Brezesinski, Gerald A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Interface-controlled calcium phosphate mineralization: effect of oligo(aspartic acid)-rich interfaces JF - CrystEngComm N2 - The phase behavior of an amphiphilic block copolymer based on a poly(aspartic acid) hydrophilic block and a poly(n-butyl acrylate) hydrophobic block was investigated at the air-water and air-buffer interface. The polymer forms stable monomolecular films on both subphases. At low pH, the isotherms exhibit a plateau. Compression-expansion experiments and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy suggest that the plateau is likely due to the formation of polymer bi- or multilayers. At high pH the films remain intact upon compression and no multilayer formation is observed. Furthermore, the mineralization of calcium phosphate beneath the monolayer was studied at different pH. The pH of the subphase and thus the polymer charge strongly affects the phase behavior of the film and the mineral formation. After 4 h of mineralization at low pH, atomic force microscopy shows smooth mineral films with a low roughness. With increasing pH the mineral films become inhomogeneous and the roughness increases. Transmission electron microscopy confirms this: at low pH a few small but uniform particles form whereas particles grown at higher pH are larger and highly agglomerated. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the formation of calcium phosphate. The levels of mineralization are higher in samples grown at high pH. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ce02274b SN - 1466-8033 VL - 17 IS - 36 SP - 6901 EP - 6913 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kirchhecker, Sarah A1 - Tröger-Müller, Steffen A1 - Bake, Sebastian A1 - Antonietti, Markus A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Esposito, Davide T1 - Renewable pyridinium ionic liquids from the continuous hydrothermal decarboxylation of furfural-amino acid derived pyridinium zwitterions JF - Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource N2 - Fully renewable pyridinium ionic liquids were synthesised via the hydrothermal decarboxylation of pyridinium zwitterions derived from furfural and amino acids in flow. The functionality of the resulting ionic liquid (IL) can be tuned by choice of different amino acids as well as different natural carboxylic acids as the counter-ions. A representative member of this new class of ionic liquids was successfully used for the synthesis of ionogels and as a solvent for the Heck coupling. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c5gc00913h SN - 1463-9262 SN - 1463-9270 VL - 17 IS - 8 SP - 4151 EP - 4156 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göbel, Ronald A1 - Stoltenberg, Marcus A1 - Krehl, Stefan A1 - Biolley, Christine A1 - Rothe, Regina A1 - Schmidt, Bernd A1 - Hesemann, Peter A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - A Modular Approach towards Mesoporous Silica Monoliths with Organically Modified Pore Walls: Nucleophilic Addition, Olefin Metathesis, and Cycloaddition JF - European journal of inorganic chemistry : a journal of ChemPubSoc Europe N2 - We have synthesized mesoporous silica (monoliths) with defined surface chemistry by means of a number of addition reactions: (i) coupling of an isocyanate to a surface-immobilized thiol, (ii) addition of an epoxide to a surface-immobilized thiol, (iii) cross-metathesis between two olefins, and (iv) Huisgen [2+3] cycloaddition of an alkyne-functionalized silica monolith with an azide. Functionalization of the mesopores was observed, but there are significant differences between individual approaches. Isocyanate and epoxide additions lead to high degrees of functionalization, whereas olefin metathesis and [2+3] cycloaddition are less effective. We further show that the efficiency of the modification is about twice as high in mesoporous silica particles than in macroscopic silica monoliths. KW - Mesoporous materials KW - Hybrid materials KW - Surface chemistry KW - Click chemistry KW - Nucleophilic addition Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.201500638 SN - 1434-1948 SN - 1099-0682 VL - 6 SP - 2088 EP - 2099 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhang, Weiyi A1 - Willa, Christoph A1 - Sun, Jian-Ke A1 - Guterman, Ryan A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Yuan, Jiayin T1 - Polytriazolium poly(ionic liquid) bearing triiodide anions: Synthesis, basic properties and electrochemical behaviors JF - Polymer : the international journal for the science and technology of polymers N2 - 4-Methyl-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazolium triiodide ionic liquid and its polymer poly(4-methyl-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazolium) triiodide were prepared for the first time from their iodide precursors via the reaction of iodide (I-) with elemental iodine (I-2). The change from iodide to triiodide (I-3(-)) was found to introduce particular variations in the physical properties of these two compounds, including lower melting point/glass transition temperature and altered solubility. The compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and their electrochemical properties examined in solution and in the solid-state. Compared with their iodide analogues, the triiodide salts exhibited lower electrical impedance and higher current in the cyclic voltammetry. We found that poly(4-methyl-1,2,4-triazolium triiodide) was proven to be a promising solid polymer electrolyte candidate. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Poly(ionic liquid) KW - Solid polymer electrolyte KW - Grotthuss mechanism KW - Triiodide "network" Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2017.07.059 SN - 0032-3861 SN - 1873-2291 VL - 124 SP - 246 EP - 251 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hentrich, Doreen A1 - Brezesinski, Gerald A1 - Kuebel, Christian A1 - Bruns, Michael A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Cholesteryl Hemisuccinate Monolayers Efficiently Control Calcium Phosphate Nucleation and Growth JF - Crystal growth & design : integrating the fields of crystal engineering and crystal growth for the synthesis and applications of new materials N2 - The article describes the phase behavior of cholesteryl hemisuccinate at the air-liquid interface and its effect on calcium phosphate (CP) mineralization. The amphiphile forms stable monolayers with phase transitions at the air-liquid interface from a gas to a tilted liquid-condensed (TLC) and finally to an untilted liquid-condensed (ULC) phase. CP mineralization beneath these monolayers leads to crumpled CP layers made from individual plates. The main crystal phase is octacalcium phosphate (OCP) along with a minor fraction of hydroxyapatite (HAP), as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, bright field transmission electron microscopy, and electron diffraction. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.7b00753 SN - 1528-7483 SN - 1528-7505 VL - 17 SP - 5764 EP - 5774 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peh, Eddie A1 - Liedel, Clemens A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Tauer, Klaus T1 - Composition inversion to form calcium carbonate mixtures JF - CrystEngComm N2 - Composition inversion takes place in equimolar solid mixtures of sodium or ammonium carbonate and calcium chloride with respect to the combination of anions and cations leading to the corresponding chloride and calcite in complete conversion. The transformation takes place spontaneously under a variety of different situations, even in a powdery mixture resting under ambient conditions. Powder X-ray diffraction data and scanning electron microscopy micrographs are presented to describe the course of the reaction and to characterize the reaction products. The incomplete reaction in the interspace between two compressed tablets of pure starting materials leads to an electric potential due to the presence of uncompensated charges. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c7ce00433h SN - 1466-8033 VL - 19 SP - 3573 EP - 3583 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heyne, Benjamin A1 - Arlt, Kristin A1 - Geßner, André A1 - Richter, Alexander F. A1 - Döblinger, Markus A1 - Feldmann, Jochen A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Wedel, Armin T1 - Mixed Mercaptocarboxylic Acid Shells Provide Stable Dispersions of InPZnS/ZnSe/ZnS Multishell Quantum Dots in Aqueous Media JF - Nanomaterials N2 - Highly luminescent indium phosphide zinc sulfide (InPZnS) quantum dots (QDs), with zinc selenide/zinc sulfide (ZnSe/ZnS) shells, were synthesized. The QDs were modified via a post-synthetic ligand exchange reaction with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) in different MPA:MUA ratios, making this study the first investigation into the effects of mixed ligand shells on InPZnS QDs. Moreover, this article also describes an optimized method for the correlation of the QD size vs. optical absorption of the QDs. Upon ligand exchange, the QDs can be dispersed in water. Longer ligands (MUA) provide more stable dispersions than short-chain ligands. Thicker ZnSe/ZnS shells provide a better photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and higher emission stability upon ligand exchange. Both the ligand exchange and the optical properties are highly reproducible between different QD batches. Before dialysis, QDs with a ZnS shell thickness of ~4.9 monolayers (ML), stabilized with a mixed MPA:MUA (mixing ratio of 1:10), showed the highest PLQY, at ~45%. After dialysis, QDs with a ZnS shell thickness of ~4.9 ML, stabilized with a mixed MPA:MUA and a ratio of 1:10 and 1:100, showed the highest PLQYs, of ~41%. The dispersions were stable up to 44 days at ambient conditions and in the dark. After 44 days, QDs with a ZnS shell thickness of ~4.9 ML, stabilized with only MUA, showed the highest PLQY, of ~34%. KW - quantum dots KW - cadmium-free KW - Cd-free KW - InP KW - InPZnS KW - multishell KW - mercaptocarboxylic acids KW - 3-mercaptopropionic acid KW - 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid KW - phase transfer KW - ligand exchange KW - aqueous dispersion KW - QDs Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10091858 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 10 IS - 9 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tao, Lumi A1 - Liu, Yuchuan A1 - Wu, Dan A1 - Wei, Qiao-Hua A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Xie, Zailai T1 - Luminescent Ionogels with Excellent Transparency, High Mechanical Strength, and High Conductivity JF - Nanomaterials N2 - The paper describes a new kind of ionogel with both good mechanical strength and high conductivity synthesized by confining the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide ([Bmim][NTf₂]) within an organic–inorganic hybrid host. The organic–inorganic host network was synthesized by the reaction of methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and methyl methacrylate (MMA) in the presence of a coupling agent, offering the good mechanical strength and rapid shape recovery of the final products. The silane coupling agent 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH-570) plays an important role in improving the mechanical strength of the inorganic–organic hybrid, because it covalently connected the organic component MMA and the inorganic component SiO₂. Both the thermal stability and mechanical strength of the ionogel significantly increased by the addition of IL. The immobilization of [Bmim][NTf₂] within the ionogel provided the final ionogel with an ionic conductivity as high as ca. 0.04 S cm⁻¹ at 50 °C. Moreover, the hybrid ionogel can be modified with organosilica-modified carbon dots within the network to yield a transparent and flexible ionogel with strong excitation-dependent emission between 400 and 800 nm. The approach is, therefore, a blueprint for the construction of next-generation multifunctional ionogels. KW - ionic liquid KW - ionogel KW - carbon dots KW - organic–inorganic hybrid KW - luminescence KW - mechanical strength Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10122521 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 10 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zehbe, Kerstin A1 - Lange, Alyna A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Stereolithography Provides Access to 3D Printed lonogels with High Ionic Conductivity JF - Energy Fuels N2 - New ionogels (IGs) were prepared by combination of a series of sulfonate-based ionic liquids (ILs), 1-methyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl)imidazolium para-toluenesulfonate [BmimSO(3)][pTS], 1-methyl-1-butylpiperidiniumsulfonate para-toluenesul-fonate [BmpipSO(3)] [pTS], and 1-methyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl) imidazolium methylsulfonate [BmimSO(3)H][MeSO3] with a commercial stereolithography photoreactive resin. The article describes both the fundamental properties of the ILs and the resulting IGs. The IGs obtained from the ILs and the resin show high ionic conductivity of up to ca. 0.7.10(-4) S/cm at room temperature and 3.4-10(-3) S/cm at 90 degrees C. Moreover, the IGs are thermally stable to about 200 degrees C and mechanically robust. Finally, and most importantly, the article demonstrates that the IGs can be molded three-dimensionally using stereolithography. This provides, for the first time, access to IGs with complex 3D shapes with potential application in battery or fuel cell technology. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.9b03379 SN - 0887-0624 SN - 1520-5029 VL - 33 IS - 12 SP - 12885 EP - 12893 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Leroux, Fabrice A1 - Rabu, Pierre A1 - de Zea Bermudez, Veronica T1 - Advanced hybrid nanomaterials JF - Beilstein journal of nanotechnology KW - colloidal chemistry KW - environmental remediation KW - hybrid nanomaterials KW - nanocomposite KW - nanofillers KW - nanomedicine KW - nanostructures KW - polymer fillers KW - pore templating KW - smart materials Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.10.247 SN - 2190-4286 VL - 10 SP - 2563 EP - 2567 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt am Main ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ugwuja, Chidinma G. A1 - Adelowo, Olawale O. A1 - Ogunlaja, Aemere A1 - Omorogie, Martins O. A1 - Olukanni, Olumide D. A1 - Ikhimiukor, Odion O. A1 - Iermak, Ievgeniia A1 - Kolawole, Gabriel A. A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Bodede, Olusola A1 - Moodley, Roshila A1 - Inada, Natalia M. A1 - Camargo, Andrea S.S. de A1 - Unuabonah, Emmanuel Iyayi T1 - Visible-Light-Mediated Photodynamic Water Disinfection @ Bimetallic-Doped Hybrid Clay Nanocomposites JF - ACS applied materials & interfaces N2 - This study reports a new class of photocatalytic hybrid clay nanocomposites prepared from low-cost sources (kaolinite clay and Carica papaya seeds) doped with Zn and Cu salts via a solvothermal process. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that Cu-doping and Cu/Zn-doping introduce new phases into the crystalline structure of Kaolinite clay, which is linked to the reduced band gap of kaolinite from typically between 4.9 and 8.2 eV to 2.69 eV for Cu-doped and 1.5 eV for Cu/Zn hybrid clay nanocomposites (Nisar, J.; Arhammar, C.; Jamstorp, E.; Ahuja, R. Phys. Rev. B 2011, 84, 075120). In the presence of solar light irradiation, Cu- and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites facilitate the electron hole pair separation. This promotes the generation of singlet oxygen which in turn improves the water disinfection efficiencies of these novel nanocomposite materials. The nanocomposite materials were further characterized using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, fluorimetry, therrnogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The breakthrough times of the nanocomposites for a fixed bed mode of disinfection of water contaminated with 2.32 x 10(7) cfu/mL E. coli ATCC 25922 under solar light irradiation are 25 h for Zn-doped, 30 h for Cu-doped, and 35 h for Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites. In the presence of multidrug and multimetal resistant strains of E. coli, the breakthrough time decreases significantly. Zn-only doped nanocomposites are not photocatalytically active. In the absence of light, the nanocomposites are still effective in decontaminating water, although less efficient than under solar light irradiation. Electrostatic interaction, metal toxicity, and release of singlet oxygen (only in the Cu-doped and Cu/Zn-doped nanocomposites) are the three disinfection mechanisms by which these nanocomposites disinfect water. A regrowth study indicates the absence of any living E. coli cells in treated water even after 4 days. These data and the long hydraulic times (under gravity) exhibited by these nanocomposites during photodisinfection of water indicate an unusually high potential of these nanocomposites as efficient, affordable, and sustainable point-of-use systems for the disinfection of water in developing countries. KW - disinfection KW - nanocomposite material KW - multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli KW - water KW - reactive oxygen species Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b01212 SN - 1944-8244 SN - 1944-8252 VL - 11 IS - 28 SP - 25483 EP - 25494 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pereira, Rui F. P. A1 - Zehbe, Kerstin A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - dos Santos, Tiago A1 - Nunes, Silvia C. A1 - Almeida Paz, Filipe A. A1 - Silva, Maria M. A1 - Granja, Pedro L. A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - de Zea Bermudez, Verónica T1 - Ionic liquid-assisted synthesis of mesoporous silk fibroin/silica hybrids for biomedical applications JF - ACS Omega N2 - New mesoporous silk fibroin (SF)/silica hybrids were processed via a one-pot soft and energy-efficient sol-gel chemistry and self-assembly from a silica precursor, an acidic or basic catalyst, and the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, acting as both solvent and mesoporosity-inducer. The as-prepared materials were obtained as slightly transparent-opaque, amorphous monoliths, easily transformed into powders, and stable up to ca. 300 degrees C. Structural data suggest the formation of a hexagonal mesostructure with low range order and apparent surface areas, pore volumes, and pore radii of 205-263 m(2) g(-1), 0.16-0.19 cm(3) g(-1), and 1.2-1.6 nm, respectively. In all samples, the dominating conformation of the SF chains is the beta-sheet. Cytotoxicity/bioactivity resazurin assays and fluorescence microscopy demonstrate the high viability of MC3T3 pre-osteoblasts to indirect (>= 99 +/- 9%) and direct (78 +/- 2 to 99 +/- 13%) contact with the SF/silica materials. Considering their properties and further improvements, these systems are promising candidates to be explored in bone tissue engineering. They also offer excellent prospects as electrolytes for solid-state electrochemical devices, in particular for fuel cells. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b02051 SN - 2470-1343 VL - 3 IS - 9 SP - 10811 EP - 10822 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Uchida, Ryusuke A1 - Binet, Silvia A1 - Arora, Neha A1 - Jacopin, Gwenole A1 - Alotaibi, Mohammad Hayal A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed A1 - Dar, M. Ibrahim A1 - Graetzel, Michael T1 - Insights about the Absence of Rb Cation from the 3D Perovskite Lattice BT - Effect on the Structural, Morphological, and Photophysical Properties and Photovoltaic Performance JF - Small N2 - Efficiencies >20% are obtained from the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) employing Cs+ and Rb+ based perovskite compositions; therefore, it is important to understand the effect of these inorganic cations specifically Rb+ on the properties of perovskite structures. Here the influence of Cs+ and Rb+ is elucidated on the structural, morphological, and photophysical properties of perovskite structures and the photovoltaic performances of resulting PSCs. Structural, photoluminescence (PL), and external quantum efficiency studies establish the incorporation of Cs+ (x < 10%) but amply rule out the possibility of Rb-incorporation into the MAPbI(3) (MA = CH3NH3+) lattice. Moreover, morphological studies and time-resolved PL show that both Cs+ and Rb+ detrimentally affect the surface coverage of MAPbI(3) layers and charge-carrier dynamics, respectively, by influencing nucleation density and by inducing nonradiative recombination. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry shows that the transition from orthorhombic to tetragonal phase occurring around 160 K requires more thermal energy for the Cs-containing MAPbI(3) systems compared to the pristine MAPbI(3). Investigation including mixed halide (I/Br) and mixed cation A-cation based compositions further confirms the absence of Rb+ from the 3D-perovskite lattice. The fundamental insights gained through this work will be of great significance to further understand highly promising perovskite compositions. KW - cation miscibility KW - cesium cation KW - perovskite solar cells KW - rubidium cation KW - X-ray diffraction Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201802033 SN - 1613-6810 SN - 1613-6829 VL - 14 IS - 36 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kim, Yohan A1 - Heyne, Benjamin A1 - Abouserie, Ahed A1 - Pries, Christopher A1 - Ippen, Christian A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Taubert, Andreas A1 - Wedel, Armin T1 - CuS nanoplates from ionic liquid precursors-Application in organic photovoltaic cells JF - The journal of chemical physics : bridges a gap between journals of physics and journals of chemistr N2 - Hexagonal p-type semiconductor CuS nanoplates were synthesized via a hot injection method from bis(trimethylsilyl) sulfide and the ionic liquid precursor bis(N-dodecylpyridinium) tetrachloridocuprate( II). The particles have a broad size distribution with diameters between 30 and 680 nm and well-developed crystal habits. The nanoplates were successfully incorporated into organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells as hole conduction materials. The power conversion efficiency of OPV cells fabricated with the nanoplates is 16% higher than that of a control device fabricated without the nanoplates. (C) 2018 Author(s). Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4991622 SN - 0021-9606 SN - 1089-7690 VL - 148 IS - 19 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krüger, Stefanie A1 - Schwarze, Michael A1 - Baumann, Otto A1 - Günter, Christina A1 - Bruns, Michael A1 - Kübel, Christian A1 - Szabo, Dorothee Vinga A1 - Meinusch, Rafael A1 - Bermudez, Veronica de Zea A1 - Taubert, Andreas T1 - Bombyx mori silk/titania/gold hybrid materials for photocatalytic water splitting BT - combining renewable raw materials with clean fuels JF - Beilstein journal of nanotechnology N2 - The synthesis, structure, and photocatalytic water splitting performance of two new titania (TiO2)/gold(Au)/Bombyx mori silk hybrid materials are reported. All materials are monoliths with diameters of up to ca. 4.5 cm. The materials are macroscopically homogeneous and porous with surface areas between 170 and 210 m(2)/g. The diameter of the TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) - mainly anatase with a minor fraction of brookite - and the Au NPs are on the order of 5 and 7-18 nm, respectively. Addition of poly(ethylene oxide) to the reaction mixture enables pore size tuning, thus providing access to different materials with different photocatalytic activities. Water splitting experiments using a sunlight simulator and a Xe lamp show that the new hybrid materials are effective water splitting catalysts and produce up to 30 mmol of hydrogen per 24 h. Overall the article demonstrates that the combination of a renewable and robust scaffold such as B. mori silk with a photoactive material provides a promising approach to new monolithic photocatalysts that can easily be recycled and show great potential for application in lightweight devices for green fuel production. KW - Bombyx mori silk KW - gold KW - photocatalytic water splitting KW - titania Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.9.21 SN - 2190-4286 VL - 9 SP - 187 EP - 204 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt, Main ER -