Optofluidic photobioreactor apparatus, method, and applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10604733-B2
Application number	US-201615351715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2016
Priority date	Nov 15, 2010
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

An optofluidic photoreactor including an optical waveguide having an input, characterized by an evanescent optical field confined along an outer surface of the optical waveguide produced by radiation propagating in the optical waveguide, means for inputting light to the input of the optical waveguide, and a photoactive material disposed substantially only within the evanescent field. A method for optically activating a photoactive material in an optofluidic photoreactor to convert carbon dioxide and water into other molecules that may be useful as a fuel or a chemical feedstock.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optofluidic photoreactor, comprising:
a photoreactor enclosure having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
a plurality of optical waveguides disposed in a spaced relationship in the photoreactor enclosure, each optical waveguide having an optical input and characterized by an evanescent optical field confined along an outer surface of each optical waveguide produced by input radiation propagating in said each optical waveguide;
a plurality of fluidic reaction channels formed of the regions intermediate the plurality of optical waveguides disposed in spaced relationship in the enclosure adapted to transport a photoactive reagent; and
a photoactive material disposed substantially within the evanescent field of each optical waveguide.

2. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides are unclad optical fibers.

3. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides are multi-mode optical fibers or rods.

4. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fluidic reaction channels are optically-dark in the absence of said evanescent fields.

5. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides comprise prism waveguides.

6. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical input is one of a laser and an LED light input.

7. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical input is a solar radiation input.

8. The photoreactor of claim 1 , further comprising a controller operably connected to the photoreactor enclosure.

9. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides are sheet/slab waveguides.

10. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides further comprise light scattering characteristics including at least one of a deposited material, a printed or lithographic pattern, and a mechanically or chemically etched surface.

11. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the photoactive reagent comprises carbon dioxide and water, in liquid and/or gaseous phases.

12. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the photoactive material is any material that can perform the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into at least one carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane, methanol, formic acid, formaldehyde, ethanol, and larger hydrocarbons including at least one of butane, heptane and octane using optical energy.

13. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the photoactive material is a thin film of a photocatalyst.

14. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the photoactive material is a nanoparticle catalyst.

15. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguides have an irregular shape.

16. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein the optofluidic photoreactor comprises a dark region and a plurality of light regions when the waveguides receive an optical input.

17. The photoreactor of claim 1 , wherein there is substantially no photoactive material disposed or grown outside the evanescent field of each optical waveguide.

18. A method to optically activate a photoactive material in a photoreactor to convert carbon dioxide and water into another molecule that may be useful as a fuel or a chemical feedstock, comprising:
providing a photoreactor that includes a photoreactor enclosure having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a plurality of optical waveguides disposed in a spaced relationship in the photoreactor enclosure, each optical waveguide having an optical input and characterized by an evanescent optical field confined along an outer surface of each optical waveguide produced by input radiation propagating in said each optical waveguide, a plurality of fluidic reaction channels formed of the regions intermediate the plurality of optical waveguides disposed in spaced relationship in the enclosure adapted to transport a photoactive reagent, and a photoactive material disposed substantially within the evanescent field of each optical waveguide;
providing the photoactive reagent including carbon dioxide and water, in liquid and/or gaseous phases, in the fluidic reaction channels; and
inputting light having a wavelength at which the photoactive material is sensitive to induce a conversion of the photoactive reagent into at least one of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane, methanol, formic acid, formaldehyde, ethanol, and larger hydrocarbons including at least one of butane, heptane and octane.

Assignees

• Univ Cornell

Inventors

• Erickson David
• Schein Perry M

Classifications

• C12P7/04

  acyclic · CPC title

• C12N1/20

  Bacteria; Culture media therefor · CPC title

• C12P7/065

  with microorganisms other than yeasts · CPC title

• G02B6/262

  Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements · CPC title

• C12N1/12

  Unicellular algae; Culture media therefor (as new plants A01H13/00) · CPC title