Medium-Throughput Catalysis Research: A TiO2 Case Study
Milo Sack
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Faculty Supervisor: Andrew S. Ichimura
Photocatalysis can serve as a sustainable solution to environmental remediation and rising energy demands. Anatase phase titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a low-cost and non-toxic semiconductor photocatalyst that utilizes ultraviolet light to drive chemical reactions. The optimization of TiO2 as a photocatalyst is under development, requiring long and tedious synthesis and spectroscopic measurement procedures. To expedite catalyst research, and mitigate human error, two custom instruments were designed, engineered, and produced. First, a medium-throughput reaction vessel consisting of eight separate reaction chambers, each containing a distinct precursor solution, enables simultaneous synthesis of the photocatalytic thin films. And secondly, a fluorometer apparatus was built that automates chemical assays to examine the effectiveness of the photocatalysts. Together, these instruments increase the throughput at which catalysis research is conducted and improve the reproducibility of the fluorescence assay. To demonstrate the capabilities of the instruments, eight TiO2 thin films were produced as a function of pH holding the precursor concentration constant, and their photocatalytic effectiveness was compared.