Towards the Rational Design and Scale-up of Green Photoreactors

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Photochemical activation of chemical reactions promises complementary synthetic pathways to thermally activated processes, which can be much more energy-efficient, and sustainable. Moreover, they can be more atom economic and reduce the required number of synthetic steps (step economy) and in many cases c offers superior selectivity over thermally activated processes. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that there has been research on photochemistry for more than 150 years, few photochemical processes are used on an industrial scale. This research project will tackle the key challenges to overcoming this barrier by elucidating the fundamental concepts for target-oriented photoreactor design. To this end we will use cutting-edge modelling of photoreactors with respect to spatially resolved photon intensity, as well as experimental validation using advanced methods of characterization including stopped flow and periodic operation coupled with design of experiments and automated testing. Building on the modelling capabilities and the developed understanding, the project will aim to use the rational design of a scalable reactor concept to construct, test and benchmark against commercially available reactor solutions.