Photonic Crystal Integrated Photomicroreactors: Enabling Efficient Solar-to-Chemical Conversion via Wavelength-Selective Photon Management

Photomicroreactors have significantly advanced photochemical synthesis by providing excellent mass transfer and uniform light distribution. However, a conventional photomicroreactor faces fundamental limitations in actively manipulating light fields due to the inherent limitations imposed by the optical properties of its construction materials. This severely restricts photon density amplification and wavelength-specific activation for photochemical transformations. Herein, we develop a photonic-crystal-integrated photomicroreactor (PC-PM) that harnesses the slow-light effect to selectively enhance the localized photon density and prolong the light-matter interaction at target wavelengths. Under real sunlight irradiation, this PC-PM design exhibits a 20% increase in yield compared with conventional reactors. Our strategy of embedding active photonic crystals within microreactors establishes a paradigm for high-efficiency photoreactors, enabling the solar-powered synthesis of high-value-added fine chemicals through precise photon management.