CONTEXT

Photocatalysis is known to be a multiple dimension chemical process dedicated to green chemistry for which R&D has been tremendous lately towards many applications such as photocatalyzed synthesizes, water dissociation or even gaseous or aqueous photocatalytic pollutant degradation.
Among the most widely used photocatalyst, one can cite Titanium dioxide which suffers however some struggles when used in powder state.
Some scientist eventually proposed to use Titanium dioxide in the form of tubes or fibers.
As it offers higher surface to volume ratio and higher contact time with pollutants, this promising shape could clearly open new opportunities for fast and continuous photocatalysis if existing processes of manufacturing do not suffer drawbacks and are industry-ready.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

In the present work, the inventors have developed a process of manufacturing of macroscopic titanium dioxide fibers through unidirectional injection/extrusion.
The process offers the following benefits:

• Easily transferrable to the industry;
• Reproducible;
• Standardized (surface topology);
• Several hundred meters of fiber length;
• ​As efficient as currently commercialized Titanium dioxide;

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

• The length of the macroscopic fibers could go up to the kilometer.
• Photocatalytic tests with acetone as the target compound have been successfully assessed.
• Current developments aims at providing fabrics with said fibers and Carbon nanotube / Titanium dioxide composite.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

• Photocatalysis for air purifier
• New applications that we couldn’t get with regular form of Titanium dioxide:

Continuous string made of assembled fibers;
Fabrics made of above strings.

For further information, please contact us (Ref 06818-01)