Photoactivated semiconductor photocatalytic air purification
AssigneePromethium, Inc.
InventorsDevon Paul Scheg, Xavier Isaiah Morgan-Lange
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In various embodiments, an air purifier capable of destroying and deactivating airborne contaminants such as SARS-CoV-2 is described. The air purifier comprises a photocatalytic system comprising at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst and a lamp configured to irradiate and excite the at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst to generate reductive and/or oxidative reactive species from oxygen and/or water on the photocatalyst surface. In various embodiments, the photocatalytic system comprises a stack of PCB cards, each card having a photocatalytic layer disposed thereon, or a 3-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3-DOM) structure comprising an open cell lattice.
Claims25
An air purifier comprising:
- a photocatalytic system comprising a series of parallel panels, each panel coated with at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst;
- and
- at least one lamp configured to irradiate the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst present on each of the parallel panels with incident radiation configured to excite the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst,
- wherein the photocatalyst system is configured to generate at least one reductive or oxidative reactive species in the presence of at least one of oxygen or water in contact with the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst, and
- wherein the at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst has an energy bandgap (Eg) of from about 12.4eV to about 1.24meV, referenced to NHE.
A method of destroying or deactivating airborne contaminants present in contaminated air flow in an HVAC system, the method comprising:
- contacting the contaminants present in the contaminated air with surfaces of a photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst coated on a series of parallel panels and irradiated with incident radiation configured to excite the photoactivated semiconductor,
- wherein irradiation of the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst generates reductive and/or oxidative reactive species from at least one of oxygen or water present on the surface of the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst,
- wherein the reductive and/or oxidative reactive species thus generated destroy or deactivate the airborne contaminants, and
- wherein the at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst has an energy bandgap (Eg) of from about 12.4eV to about 1.24meV, referenced to NHE.
An air purifier comprising:
- a photocatalytic system comprising a series of parallel panels, each panel coated with at least one photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst and each panel bipolarized with an applied electrical potential;
- and
- at least one lamp configured to irradiate the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst present on each of the parallel panels with incident radiation configured to excite the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst,
- wherein the photocatalyst system is configured to generate at least one reductive or oxidative reactive species in the presence of at least one of oxygen or water in contact with the photoactivated semiconductor photocatalyst.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.