Purification of water and air is a constant challenge to chemists and biologists. One promising new line of research uses photocatalysis involving titanium dioxide.
Exposing TiO2 to UV radiation in an aqueous environment can lead to the formation of highly oxidising species derived from oxygen, which are capable of converting organic material (e.g. bacteria) to harmless inorganic by-products.
The version here uses a microscale approach to ensure that the reaction happens quickly.
(Based on work by Kevin Jones at St Andrew’s University)
