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It has a wide range of applications, including as photocatalysis and pollutant removal.

"Our results show the potential of photocatalysis for the total synthesis of complex terpenes. This could pave the way for the development of new medications," concludes Baudoin.

To this purpose, they employed both a chemical reaction called ring-closing metathesis and photocatalysis -- a process in which chemical reactions are promoted by light energy.

Dr Madasamy Thangamuthu, a research fellow in the School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, who co-led the research team, said: "There is a large variety of different materials used in photocatalysis. It is important that the photocatalyst absorbs light and separates charge carriers with high efficiency. In our approach, we control the material at the nanoscale. We developed a new form of carbon nitride with crystalline nanoscale domains that allow efficient interaction with light as well as sufficient charge separation."

The researchers devised a process of heating carbon nitride to the required degree of crystallinity, maximising the functional properties of this material for photocatalysis.