Fused Silica Photoreactor vs Borosilicate Glass Photoreactor for Photochemical Experiments-Amy
Gepubliceerd op: October 22, 2026
Lianyungang Shengfan Quartz shares a real application case showing the performance gap between fused silica photoreactors and traditional borosilicate glass photoreactors for UV photocatalysis, photolysis and light-driven synthesis.
A university research team initially used a jacketed borosilicate glass photoreactor for deep‑UV photocatalytic degradation tests. During repeated runs under 254 nm UV irradiation, they encountered obvious limitations. Borosilicate glass strongly absorbs short‑wave UV, greatly reducing the photon energy reaching the reaction solution. The measured reaction conversion rate was far below the theoretical value. After long‑time UV exposure, the inner wall gradually turned hazy, with surface aging and light attenuation. In addition, thermal cycling sometimes caused microcracks and leakage, forcing frequent equipment shutdown and replacement.
The team later switched to a custom JGS2 fused silica photoreactor supplied by Shengfan Quartz. Made of high‑purity fused silica, it delivers outstanding transmittance across deep UV to visible range. Under the same light source power and testing parameters, the photocatalytic efficiency rose significantly. Quartz features low thermal expansion, excellent thermal shock resistance and superior chemical inertness. It stays clear without fogging or devitrification under continuous UV radiation, and releases almost no impurities to contaminate samples. The jacket cooling structure, multi-port inlet/outlet and flange sealing design fully meet stable long-cycle photochemical testing.
Borosilicate glass reactors remain a cost-effective option for visible-light reactions and low-intensity UVA tests. However, they are not suitable for deep UV, high-precision photochemistry and corrosive reaction systems. Although quartz reactors carry higher upfront cost, they bring stable light efficiency, longer service life and fewer invalid experimental data, delivering better overall value for research and industrial photochemical processes.
Shengfan Quartz supplies customized quartz photoreactors in various volumes, immersion well types and jacket structures. Strict inspection controls bubbles, scratches and dimensional tolerance. Sample testing and bulk export orders are supported for labs, environmental research, pharmaceutical synthesis and new energy photocatalysis projects. Our technical team can recommend suitable materials and structures based on your working wavelength, temperature and medium.
