Light-harvesting properties of photocatalyst supports—no photon left behind

In this work, we set out to elucidate the light-harvesting properties of various random and ordered photocatalyst supports (PSs) with different macropore sizes. To accomplish this, we propose two studies of increasing relevance, enabled by computed tomography (CT) reconstructions and ray-tracing COMSOL Multiphysics simulations: (a) a 360-degree light release study approximating a PS situated within a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) or cylindrical LED reactor with open ends; and (b) the same system as before but with closed ends. The ordered geometry is of interest, as it can be 3D printed at scale with a tailored morphology and porosity, and it can potentially be refined using machine learning models to optimize its light-harvesting properties. As will be shown, the local volumetric light absorption (LVLA) data suggests that an ordered PS with a more open pore interior and a smaller pore exterior would begin to approach the more isophotonic light-harvesting properties of random PSs.