An automated coating process to produce TiO2-coated optical fibre for photocatalytic reactor systems

A recent development in photocatalytic reactor systems is the introduction of catalyst coated optical fibre for improved illumination efficiency. A high catalyst loading per unit reactor volume would require a large amount of coated fibre. Hence, an automated optical fibre catalyst coating process (AOFCCP) was developed. Here, we report on the effect of process variables in the deposition of TiO2 (P25 and anatase) on the coating thickness and surface morphology. The thickness of the photocatalytic layer increases with an increase in the withdrawal speed, which is attributed to a reduced flow back of the slurry prior to the drying process. This is further substantiated by the observed increase the catalyst layer thickness upon increasing the drying/calcination temperature (200 - 500 degrees C) upon coating P25 on to the optical fibre. The surface of the layer created by dip-coating through a P25-slurry was often corrugated, whereas the anatase surface obtained by gel-coating was smooth.

Automated summary

The introduction of catalyst coated optical fibre in photocatalytic reactor systems can improve illumination efficiency, but requires a large amount of coated fibre. The automated optical fibre catalyst coating process has been developed to influence coating thickness and surface morphology.