Photon‐ and Charge‐Management in Advanced Energy Materials: Combining 0D, 1D, and 2D Nanocarbons as well as Bulk Semiconductors with Organic Chromophores

Abstract

In this contribution, seminal works in the area of photon‐ and charge‐management are highlighted with focus on covalent electron donor‐acceptor conjugates built around porphyrins (Ps), on one hand, and 0D, 1D, and 2D nanocarbons, on the other hand. Photons in these conjugates are managed by Ps, while 0D, 1D, and 2D nanocarbons serve as the active component, which enable managing charges. With a few leading examples, it can be explored much beyond the simple photon‐ and charge‐management characterization and emphasize photovoltaics and photocatalysis to convert and store energy. This contribution concludes by highlighting recent progress in mixing and matching the unique charge‐management features of nanocarbons in the design of multidimensional nanocarbons.

Carbon Nanodots for All-in-One Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

“…Notably, the highest catalytic activity was found at a pH of around 8, that is, close to seawater conditions. Indeed, the catalytic activity increases to 19.70 mmol(H 2 ) g(oCND-2) −1 h −1 in seawater after 1 h (Figure 2f). This is a fundamental advantage of our CND materials for the implementation of HER from seawater in real devices.…”

“…At the forefront of these investigations were covalent − and noncovalent − electron donor–acceptor systems involving, for example, pressure-synthesized CNDs (pCNDs). Common to these studies is the fact that they are the first steps toward a full-fledged understanding of the (photo)­catalytic performance of CNDs in energy conversion schemes. − In terms of HER photocatalysis, CNDs have mainly served as photosensitizers, in combination with nickel − /cobalt complexes, redox enzymes, , or TiO 2 nanotubes , as catalysts . Control experiments, in which catalysts were omitted, failed to give any appreciable hydrogen: none of the tested CNDs are catalytically active.…”

Magnetic Polaron States in Photoluminescent Carbon Dots Enable Hydrogen Peroxide Photoproduction

“…[50][51][52][53][54] However, there is no clear design that allows to clearly anticipate the possible generation of excited states (ESs) in CDs that are potentially useful in photocatalysis. [45,55,56] In this work, we introduce the concept of spatial anisotropy as the key factor for the synthesis of multifunctional (optically and photocatalytically active) carbon-based nanomaterials and demonstrate that Asp-CDs give, under light excitation, not only highly emissive PL units but also express long-living magnetic electron/hole polaron species. Such features result from the spatial organization of Asp-CDs, which is interpreted in terms of a two-domain structure, a hydrophobic carbon-rich region (core) and a hydrophilic region (shell) that contains a larger amount of oxygen and nitrogen atoms.…”

Expanding the Chemical Space of Tetracyanobuta‐1,3‐diene (TCBD) through a Cyano‐Diels‐Alder Reaction: Synthesis, Structure, and Physicochemical Properties of an Anthryl‐fused‐TCBD Derivative

“…The preparation of novel electron donor‐acceptor (D−A) systems and studies thereof represent a transdisciplinary research area. It directly impacts technologically relevant fields such as light‐to‐energy conversion schemes and organic electronics [1–3] . While the portfolio of electron donors is large, versatile, and continuously growing, the one of electron acceptors is mostly centered around fullerenes, perylene diimides, and multicyano fragments, which are among the most investigated building blocks.…”