Microreactors: Discovery, Development and Chemical Engineering Opportunities

In this webinar, Dr. Klavs F. Jensen illustrates how continuous flow microreactors promise to transform classical batch wise laboratory procedures into integrated systems capable of providing new understanding of fundamental chemical processes, as well as rapid, continuous discovery and development of new products with less use of resources and waste generation. He covers how chemical microsystems combine microfluidic channels, chemical-synthesis-on-a chip, and microscale separation (extraction and distillation) to enable multiple synthesis and separation steps. He discusses how synthesis applications are enhanced by chemical information gained from integrating microfluidic components with sensors, actuators, and automated fluid handling. He shows how miniaturized systems allow experiments on well defined samples at conditions not easily accessed by conventional means, such as reaction at high pressure and temperatures.

Dr. Jensen presents case studies drawn from multistep chemical synthesis relevant to fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals, synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles and quantum dots, and fuel conversion. He emphasizes applications that are enabled by microsystems and difficult to perform by conventional techniques. Finally, he discusses the potential for scaling microreactor results to production.