Towards a highly efficient air purifier using annular photonic crystals in UV regimes

Air purifiers play a vital role in fighting the spread of airborne transmitted diseases like COVID-19, rubeola, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and varicella-zoster, which represent a fundamental challenge. This paper introduces a new enhancement to ultraviolet (UV) air purifiers in air ventilation systems, which delivers a higher inactivation UV dose, eliminating the need for either higher exposure time or a stronger UV source. The modified transfer matrix method in the cylindrical geometry represents the main tool of our theoretical considerations. The new enhancement utilizes an annular photonic crystal (APC) for reflecting UV radiation 99%. The numerical simulation shows that the structure is stable over a wide range of operating scales that fit the extensive range of air purifiers, working at different scales. Additionally, the possibility of using APC over a wide range of UV sources is investigated.