As a fascinating conjugated polymer, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has become a new research hotspot and drawn broad interdisciplinary attention as a metal-free and visible-light-responsive photocatalyst in the arena of solar energy conversion and environmental remediation. This is due to its appealing electronic band structure, high physicochemical stability, and “earth-abundant” nature. This critical review summarizes a panorama of the latest progress related to the design and construction of pristine g-C3N4 and g-C3N4-based nanocomposites, including (1) nanoarchitecture design of bare g-C3N4, such as hard and soft templating approaches, supramolecular preorganization assembly, exfoliation, and template-free synthesis routes, (2) functionalization of g-C3N4 at an atomic level (elemental doping) and molecular level (copolymerization), and (3) modification of g-C3N4 with well-matched energy levels of another semiconductor or a metal as a cocatalyst to form heterojunction nanostructures. The constructi...

Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C3N4)-Based Photocatalysts for Artificial Photosynthesis and Environmental Remediation: Are We a Step Closer To Achieving Sustainability?

/pdf/aryl-aryl-bond-formation-one-century-after-the-discovery-of-1jdyxlkwix.pdf

Aryl-aryl bond formation one century after the discovery of the Ullmann reaction.

Lanthanide-based luminescent hybrid materials.

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: A chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

A review was presented to demonstrate a historical description of the synthesis of light-emitting conjugated polymers for applications in electroluminescent devices. Electroluminescence (EL) was first reported in poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) in 1990 and researchers continued to make significant efforts to develop conjugated materials as the active units in light-emitting devices (LED) to be used in display applications. Conjugated oligomers were used as luminescent materials and as models for conjugated polymers in the review. Oligomers were used to demonstrate a structure and property relationship to determine a key polymer property or to demonstrate a technique that was to be applied to polymers. The review focused on demonstrating the way polymer structures were made and the way their properties were controlled by intelligent and rational and synthetic design.

Synthesis of Light-Emitting Conjugated Polymers for Applications in Electroluminescent Devices

New mixed organic-inorganic polymers: hydrolysis and polycondensation of bis(trimethoxysilyl)organometallic precursors

Self-organized hybrid silica with long-range ordered lamellar structure.

The synthesis of two task-specific ionic liquids (TSILs) bearing 2-hydroxybenzylamine entities is described. These compounds are based on an imidazolium substructure onto which one hydrobenzylamine-complexing moiety is grafted. We have demonstrated that, whether pure or diluted, TSIL is able to extract americium ions. Furthermore, recovery of americium from the IL phase into a receiving phase can be achieved under acidic conditions. A possible mechanism for the metal-ion partitioning is presented, in which the extraction system is driven by an ion-exchange mechanism.

Joël J. E. Moreau

Papers

New mixed organic-inorganic polymers: hydrolysis and polycondensation of bis(trimethoxysilyl)organometallic precursors

Self-organized hybrid silica with long-range ordered lamellar structure.

Task-specific ionic liquids bearing 2-hydroxybenzylamine units: synthesis and americium-extraction studies.

Supported ionic liquids: ordered mesoporous silicas containing covalently linked ionic species.

Advanced selective optical sensors based on periodically organized mesoporous hybrid silica thin films