Numerous studies have been conducted over the past decades to improve the efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts, such as TiO2, used for water reclamation. In particular, incorporation of various sensitizers, dopants, and conducting metals has been extensively tested to enhance the absorption at longer wavelengths for visible light irradiation applications. This study presents a novel approach of employing upconversion phosphors that shift the frequency of incident light through sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation. Polymers containing a pair of organic sensitizers and emitters, which can be molded into any desirable shape, serve as host materials enabling sub-bandgap sensitization of semiconductor photocatalysts. These composite materials were shown to exhibit high efficiency photon upconversion properties to generate ultraviolet from visible light or blue light from green light. TiO2 coupled with these materials were also shown to produce reactive oxygen species for destruction of contaminants and inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms in water.

Photon upconversion in polymeric matrix based on sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation: Application to photocatalysis

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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