Microfluidic photocatalytic device exploiting PDMS/TiO2 nanocomposite

A microfluidic device exploiting PDMS/TiO2 nanocomposite has been used for photocatalytic degradation studies of organic dye. By using commercial P25 TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and conventional PDMS casting and replication techniques, high density and well-dispersed TiO2 NPs were embedded in the elastomeric surface. The obtained nanocomposite membranes were characterized by morphological, chemical, and physical points of view. The fabrication process allows an easy integration of the membrane into an all PDMS microfluidic device for pollutant photodegradation. The high surface-to-volume ratio intrinsic in nanoparticles and the functional properties of the proposed nanocomposite substrate are responsible for the interesting photocatalytic device performance. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.