LTCC-3D Coaxial Flow Focusing Microfluidic Reactor for Micro and Nanoparticle Fabrication and Production Scale-Out

Abstract

AbstractÀMiniaturization of chemical processes is becoming a must for green chemistry and sustainable industry processes, so technological research in this direction is well received. Continuous microreactor systems hold many potential benefits over batch reactors, in that they allow: high surface-to-volume ratio, fine adjustment of chemical reaction residence times, small thermal inertia, and fast changes in temperature. Advantages of multilayer green ceramics for microprocess applications include: that the LTCC substrate is chemically inert to most solvents, that it has a high contact angle, that it presents low thermal coefficient of expansion, and that it can withstand high operational temperatures and high internal pressures. For these reasons, LTCC-based microsystem technologies allow the implementation of different unitary operations for chemical processes, making it an enabling technology for the miniaturization of chemical processes. In fact, recently, LTCC microfluidic reactors have been used to produce microparticles and nanoparticles with excellent control of size distribution and morphology. The present work provides a report on the performance of a 3D LTCC coaxial flow focusing microfluidic reactor designed to fabricate microparticles and nanoparticles using nanoprecipitation through an antisolvent; with electric potential size tuning. We also implement an approach to particle production scale-out.

Fab on a Package: LTCC Microfluidic Devices Applied to Chemical Process Miniaturization

“…Hydrodynamic flow focalization could be used in order to improve the diffusion process due to the increase in the fluid-fluid cross section area ratio. In particular, 3D flow focalization has been shown to be an interesting alternative for the diffusion process improvement [ 36 , 37 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. Unfortunately, 3D microfluidics devices already reported in the scientific literature do not allow solvent extraction because devices have only one output designed for mixing purposes.…”

Intensification of silver nanoparticle synthesis through continuous flow split and recombine microreactors

“…The researchers had also focused on the optimization of parametric findings for achieving narrower residence time distributions to obtain narrower size dispersity, be it in T-type reactors, 33 coaxial reactors 34 or serpentine channels. 35 The limitations posed by costly and time-consuming confocal microscopy methods for determining concentration distributions in microreactors have hindered the experimental understanding of the relationship between nanoparticle size and mixing efficiency. [36][37][38] Nonetheless, a verified computational model can readily simulate mass transfer and hydrodynamics in microreactors.…”

“…44 From the research carried out earlier, it is evident that the majority of work has been done by maintaining a linear type of flow path where the flow area in the microreactors was constant. 11,[13][14][15][16]28,[33][34][35]44 Recent research has explored various reaction processes such as gas-liquid reactions, 45 ionic liquid reactions, 46 micro-particle synthesis, 47 organic chemical synthesis, 48,49 and nanoparticle synthesis. [50][51][52][53] These studies have typically employed T-type, helical coiltype, and flow focusing-type geometric configurations.…”

“…The researchers had also focused on the optimization of parametric findings for achieving narrower residence time distributions to obtain narrower size dispersity, be it in T-type reactors, 33 coaxial reactors 34 or serpentine channels. 35…”