Additive Manufacturing of Polymer-Derived Titania for One-Step Solar Water Purification

Abstract

Solar disinfection of drinking water (SODIS) is an approach for water purification widely used in households with limited access to fresh water. SODIS relies on microorganism inactivation triggered by sunlight energy in the UV spectrum and requires processing times of up to 48 hr. Water treatment rate is drastically increased by using photocatalytic materials, such as TiO_2, which can harvest sunlight to promote generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that inactivate bacteria within few hours. One main challenge that impedes the insertion of photocatalysts in most water treatment approaches is the need to populate the catalyst particles on a three-dimensional (3D) structure with a high-surface area that is stable under water flow.

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