Nano-reactor for producing high performance nanomaterials

Comparison of Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor Types for the Degradation of an Organic Molecule by TiO2-Coated PES Membrane

Photocatalytic membrane reactors with different configurations (design, flow modes and light sources) have been widely applied for pollutant removal. A thorough understanding of the contribution of reactor design to performance is required to be able to compare photocatalytic materials. Reactors with different flow designs are implemented for process efficiency comparisons. Several figures-of-merit, namely adapted space-time yield (STY) and photocatalytic space-time yield (PSTY), specific energy consumption (SEC) and degradation rate constants, were used to assess the performance of batch, flow-along and flow-through reactors. A fair comparison of reactor performance, considering throughput together with energy efficiency and photocatalytic activity, was only possible with the modified PSTY. When comparing the three reactors at the example of methylene blue (MB) degradation under LED irradiation, flow-through proved to be the most efficient design. PSTY1/PSTY2 values were approximately 10 times higher than both the batch and flow-along processes. The highest activity of such a reactor is attributed to its unique flow design which allowed the reaction to take place not only on the outer surface of the membrane but also within its pores. The enhancement of the mass transfer when flowing in a narrow space (220 nm in flow-through) contributes to an additional MB removal.

Synthesis of a 2D phosphorus material in a MOF-based 2D nano-reactor

A 2D nano-reactor was constructed within a pillar–layer-MOF, in which a moderately stable 2D phosphorus material was synthesized.

Synthesis of two dimensional (2D) materials mainly relies on interface-templates, exfoliation of layered crystals and surfactant-assistance. Here we have realized another strategy of polymerization in a 2D nano-reactor. As an application of this strategy, a 2D nano-reactor was constructed within a new pillar–layer metal organic framework (MOF) and in this nano-reactor a moderately stable 2D phosphorus material was synthesized from white phosphorus (P₄). Our research may provide a new approach for the synthesis of various 2D materials.