Droplet-microfluidics for the controlled synthesis and efficient photocatalysis of TiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

Here, we present a facile microfluidic pathway for the rapid synthesis of uniformly sized TiO2 nanoparticles (≈10 nm) using an inexpensive acrylic based microreactor, fabricated via time and cost effective LASER engraving technique. The design and dimensions of the microchannels were optimized to generate uniformly sized micro-droplets by means of hydrodynamic flow focusing process. Applied synthetic methodology is simple enough to be free from the use of any surfactant or capping agent otherwise used for the same. Further, we have investigated photocatalytic dye degradation in a continuous flow microreactor with TiO2 embedded microchannels and observed a very high rate constant of photocatalysis (3.60 h−1) with a maximum degradation efficiency of ≈89% against Methylene Blue dye within just 30 min of UV radiation. Thus, this work highlights the suitability of low-cost microfluidic reactors for the controlled synthesis of nanostructured materials and their application in photocatalytic dye degradation.