Additive manufacturing of intricate and inherently photocatalytic flow reactor components

A 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-based photosensitiser has been successfully incorporated into a commercially available 3D printing resin and utilised to fabricate inherently photocatalytic flow reactor components. The freedom of design provided by additive manufacturing enabled the production of photoactive monolith structures with intricate architectures, imparting functionality for heterogeneous photocatalysis and interesting manipulation of fluid dynamics within a fixed bed reactor column. The resultant monoliths were applied and validated in the photosensitisation of singlet oxygen in aqueous media, under continuous flow conditions and visible light irradiation (420 nm). The photo-generated singlet oxygen cleanly converted fumic acid to the gamma-lactone, 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone, with a peak space-time yield of 2.34 mmol m(-2) h(-1) achieved using the Voronoi monolith.

Automated summary

A photosensitizer based on 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole has been incorporated into a commercially available 3D printing resin to fabricate inherently photocatalytic flow reactor components. These components, with intricate structures, enabled the conversion of fumic acid to gamma-lactone through photosensitization generating singlet oxygen. The peak space-time yield reached 2.34 mmol m(-2) h(-1) using the Voronoi monolith.