Cross-flow microfluidic photocatalysis with metal-organic framework thin films
- 1Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Hyderabad
- 2Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Abstract
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable reaction space, and using them as porous photocatalysts also allows the catalyst to be recovered and reused. In practice, though, performance is often constrained by how quickly reactants diffuse through the porous material and how well light reaches the active sites. In this work, we present an approach that pairs a MOF thin-film photocatalyst with a cross-flow microfluidic reactor. The thin film sets a well-defined diffusion length, the transparent thin film let light reach the active layer, and crossflow microfluidics allow diffusion control. Together, these features give control over reactant transport and improve illumination of the photocatalyst. To build the photocatalyst, we noncovalently load Ru(bpy)3(PF6)2 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) into mesopores created by defects in a hierarchically porous Zr-based UiO-66 thin film. The well-established aerobic oxidation of ethyl 2-bromo-2-phenylacetate to ethyl 2-oxo-2-phenylacetate serves as a benchmark reaction; it is a test case rather than the main finding of the study. Under cross-flow conditions, the photocatalyst reaches a turnover frequency about ten times that of the equivalent MOF powder system, and it also outperforms the homogeneous benchmark. These findings highlight cross-flow microfluidics as a promising strategy for managing both mass transport and light delivery in MOF-based photocatalysis.
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BibTeX
@misc{panda2026crossflow,
title = {{Cross-flow microfluidic photocatalysis with metal-organic framework thin films}},
author = {Suvendu Panda and Bijan Sarkar and Rajarshi Ghosh and Pradipta Saha and Riju Paria and Ravichandran Shivanna and Ritesh Haldar},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010338/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010338/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Cross-flow microfluidic photocatalysis with metal-organic framework thin films
AU - Suvendu Panda
AU - Bijan Sarkar
AU - Rajarshi Ghosh
AU - Pradipta Saha
AU - Riju Paria
AU - Ravichandran Shivanna
AU - Ritesh Haldar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010338/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010338/v1
AB - Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable reaction space, and using them as porous photocatalysts also allows the catalyst to be recovered and reused. In practice, though, performance is often constrained by how quickly reactants diffuse through the porous material and how well light reaches the active sites. In this work, we present an approach that pairs a MOF thin-film photocatalyst with a cross-flow microfluidic reactor. The thin film sets a well-defined diffusion length, the transparent thin film let light reach the active layer, and crossflow microfluidics allow diffusion control. Together, these features give control over reactant transport and improve illumination of the photocatalyst. To build the photocatalyst, we noncovalently load Ru(bpy)3(PF6)2 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) into mesopores created by defects in a hierarchically porous Zr-based UiO-66 thin film. The well-established aerobic oxidation of ethyl 2-bromo-2-phenylacetate to ethyl 2-oxo-2-phenylacetate serves as a benchmark reaction; it is a test case rather than the main finding of the study. Under cross-flow conditions, the photocatalyst reaches a turnover frequency about ten times that of the equivalent MOF powder system, and it also outperforms the homogeneous benchmark. These findings highlight cross-flow microfluidics as a promising strategy for managing both mass transport and light delivery in MOF-based photocatalysis.
ER -