Abstract
Microfluidics and microreaction technology constitute an upcoming field in a variety of industrial branches. As this technique is implemented in the daily business of industrial companies the cost-effectiveness of the production process starts to become an issue. The micro metal injection molding (μ-MIM) process provides freedom of design for a broad spectrum of materials (metals, metal alloys, and polymers). Catalytic as well as bio-compatible materials have already been structured using this technology. Furthermore, μ-MIM shows the potential of a cost-effective production technique that can be adapted to produce microstructured parts for various applications. As a case example a microfluidic structure was applied for water purification. The reactor surface was coated with an active photocatalytic (TiO2) modified nano-layer using dip coating. Subsequently, it was covered with a glass plate adhered with a two-component adhesive. For determination of hydrodynamics, measurements by means of μPTV have been performed. For investigations of water purification and sanitization the reactor was first fed with a water stream contaminated by a special dye to optimize the hydrodynamic parameters and afterwards with a water stream contaminated by Escherichia coli to investigate the degradation of germs. This was done by illuminating the TiO2-coated reactor with UV light. The results indicate that this new type of reactor has an exceptional high potential to eliminate germs in drinking water.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the Institute of New Materials (INM) in Saarbrücken for applying the TiO2 coating and for its support in relevant questions concerning photocatalysis.