The synergy between photocatalysis and continuous flow chemical reactors has shifted the paradigms of photochemistry, opening new avenues of research with safer and scalable processes that can be readily implemented in academia and industry. Current state-of-the-art photocatalysts are homogeneous transition metal complexes that have favourable photophysical properties, wide electrochemical redox potentials, and photostability. However, these photocatalysts present serious drawbacks, such as toxicity, limited availability, and the overall cost of rare transition metal elements. This reduces their long-term viability, especially at an industrial scale. Heterogeneous photocatalysts (HPCats) are an attractive alternative, as the requirement for the separation and purification is largely removed, but typically at the cost of efficiency. Flow chemical reactors can, to a large extent, mitigate the loss in efficiency through reactor designs that enhance mass transport and irradiation. Herein, we review some important developments of heterogeneous photocatalytic materials and their application in flow reactors for sustainable organic synthesis. Further, the application of continuous flow heterogeneous photocatalysis in environmental remediation is briefly discussed to present some interesting reactor designs that could be implemented to enhance organic synthesis.

中文翻译：

---

流动化学反应器中的非均相光催化。


光催化和连续流化学反应器之间的协同作用改变了光化学的范式，开辟了新的研究途径，提供更安全、可扩展的工艺，可以在学术界和工业界轻松实施。目前最先进的光催化剂是均质过渡金属配合物，具有良好的光物理性质、宽的电化学氧化还原电位和光稳定性。然而，这些光催化剂存在严重的缺点，例如毒性、可用性有限以及稀有过渡金属元素的总体成本。这降低了它们的长期生存能力，尤其是在工业规模上。异质光催化剂（HPCats）是一种有吸引力的替代品，因为很大程度上消除了分离和纯化的要求，但通常以效率为代价。流动化学反应器可以在很大程度上通过增强传质和辐照的反应器设计来减轻效率损失。在此，我们回顾了非均相光催化材料的一些重要进展及其在可持续有机合成的连续反应器中的应用。此外，还简要讨论了连续流多相光催化在环境修复中的应用，以提出一些有趣的反应器设计，这些设计可用于增强有机合成。