Microfluidic dual loops reactor for conducting a multistep reaction

doi:10.1007/s11705-017-1680-9

Front. Chem. Sci. Eng.

2018, Vol. 12

Issue (2) : 239-246 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1680-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Microfluidic dual loops reactor for conducting a multistep reaction

Si Hyung Jin¹, Jae-Hoon Jung^2,³, Seong-Geun Jeong¹, Jongmin Kim¹, Tae Jung Park³, Chang-Soo Lee¹(

)

¹. Department of Chemical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
². Lotte Chemical R&D Center, Daejeon 34110, Korea
³. Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea

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Abstract

Precise control of each individual reaction that constitutes a multistep reaction must be performed to obtain the desired reaction product efficiently. In this work, we present a microfluidic dual loops reactor that enables multistep reaction by integrating two identical loop reactors. Specifically, reactants A and B are synthesized in the first loop reactor and transferred to the second loop reactor to synthesize with reactant C to form the final product. These individual reactions have nano-liter volumes and are carried out in a stepwise manner in each reactor without any cross-contamination issue. To precisely control the mixing efficiency in each loop reactor, we investigate the operating pressure and the operating frequency on the mixing valves for rotary mixing. This microfluidic dual loops reactor is integrated with several valves to realize the fully automated unit operation of a multistep reaction, such as metering the reactants, rotary mixing, transportation, and collecting the product. For proof of concept, CdSeZn nanoparticles are successfully synthesized in a microfluidic dual loops reactor through a fully automated multistep reaction. Taking all of these features together, this microfluidic dual loops reactor is a general microfluidic screening platform that can synthesize various materials through a multistep reaction.

Keywords microfluidics multistep reaction rotary mixing nanoparticle

Corresponding Author(s): Chang-Soo Lee

Just Accepted Date: 17 August 2017 Online First Date: 03 November 2017 Issue Date: 09 May 2018

Cite this article:

Si Hyung Jin,Jae-Hoon Jung,Seong-Geun Jeong, et al. Microfluidic dual loops reactor for conducting a multistep reaction[J]. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2018, 12(2): 239-246.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/10.1007/s11705-017-1680-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/Y2018/V12/I2/239

Fig.1 Microfluidic dual loops reactors for conducting a multistep reaction. (a) Schematic diagram of the microfluidic dual loops reactor. Black arrows indicate the direction of flow of the reactants and products. White arrows indicate the introduction of nitrogen gas and distilled ionized water (DIW). In case of valves, black and gray rectangles indicate rotary mixing and blocking valves, respectively. (b) Snapshot image of the microfluidic dual loops reactor. Red, blue, and green food dyes are used to visualize microfluidic channels, blocking valves, and rotary mixing valves, respectively. Scale bar indicates 1 cm. (c) Magnified image of the dual loops reactor. Rotary mixing and blocking valves are visualized in green (black arrows) and blue (white arrows) dyes, respectively. Scale bar indicates 1 mm

Fig.2 Characteristics of the microfluidic loop reactor for efficient mixing. (a) Time-lapse image of rotary mixing in a loop reactor. Scale bar indicates 500 µm. (b) Mixing efficiency according to the valve operating pressure.(c) Mixing efficiency according to the valve operating frequency. The error bars indicate standard deviations derived from repeated experiments on three devices

Fig.3 The workflow of the multistep reaction in the microfluidic dual loops reactor. (a) The reactants and distilled water are introduced simultaneously into the channels. (b) Reactant A and B are delivered by nitrogen gas into the first loop reactor. (c) Reactants are circulated along the first loop reactor to obtain rapid mixing. (d) Intermediate (P_A+B) and reactant C are also introduced into the second loop reactor. (e) Intermediate product and reactant C are circulated in the second loop reactor; (f) The final product is diluted 10-fold with distilled water and collected in a reservoir

Fig.4 Energy dispersive spectroscopy spectra and transmission electron microscope image of CdSeZn nanoparticle

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