3D-printed, home-made, UV-LED photoreactor as a simple and economic tool to perform photochemical reactions in high school laboratories

Abstract

In the paper we present the simple manufacturing of an easy and economical UV-A photoreactor using a desktop 3D printer and its application in chemical transformations. PLA (polylactic acid) was used as inexpensive and not toxic polymer for the 3D printing process, while commercially available decorative ultraviolet LEDs (UV-A) have been employed as a light source. With this device, the photoreduction of benzophenone was performed in high yield and short times, compatible with the duration of a typical laboratory experiment in a high school program.

Keywords

• 3d printing
• benzophenone
• photoreactor
• photoreduction
• uv-leds