Continuous Flow Photocatalysis for Sustainable Chemical Conversions

Photocatalytic chemical conversion shows a bright future in sustainable synthesis but encounters great challenges in scale-up. Photocatalysis in flow is considered as a solution for maximizing light absorption and mass transfer of reactants and thus has attracted fundamental and applied research. This perspective provides an overview of recent progress on photocatalytic chemical conversions in continuous flow from the viewpoint of system design, circulation, immobilization of photocatalysts, and solar-driven photocatalytic systems. An outlook on the future development of photocatalytic chemical conversion in flow is proposed based on a critical analysis of the challenges for applications, revealing the necessity of intensifying potentially profitable reactions using affordable photocatalysts by self-sustained automated flow systems.