AutoMATiO : Automated Microfluidic platform for screening vis-Active TiO2 photocatalysts for organic pollutants degradation

Motivation

The demand for drinking water is rising due to population growth, urbanisation, and industry development. Efficient TiO₂-based photocatalytic technologies can meet this requirement. The most significant deficiency of TiO₂ is that it can be activated by UV radiation which represents only 5% of the total solar radiation. By reducing TiO₂, oxygen vacancies and Ti³⁺ defects at the surface are introduced leading to the modification of the band-gap energy in the VIS region.

However, screening the activity of multiple photocatalysts across a wide range of conditions by conventional batch reactors implies an extensive experimental effort. The photocatalysts testing can be intensified using photo microreactors coupled to analytical tools and automatically operated.

Goal

AutoMaTiO aims to accelerate the screening of photocatalytic activity via an automated microfluidic platform. This novel testing platform can create future standardised databases which will enable the rational design of visible-light photocatalysts and efficient water treatment processes.