(79g) Additive 3D Printing for Microreactor Applications and Continuous Flow Chemistry

Current continuous flow systems are based on two basic approaches: 1) experimental setups consisting of plastic, glass or steel pipes that are easy to construct, replace and iterate, or 2) intricate setups made of silicon/glass which require the use of photolithography and micromachining, and taking significant resources to iterate. 3D printing of polymers, metals and glass can promise to combine the advantages of both types. Intricate setups can be designed and fabricated quickly and at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional machining methods. We describe the adaptation of an additive 3D printer to create reaction vessels for continuous flow chemistry. We explore the use of different materials to test their utility for additive printing, and their stability for handling the broad range of solvents and reagents used in flow chemistry. We study the possibilities of rapid prototyping micro- and millifluidic reactors using 3D printing for pharmaceutically relevant reactions. We also fabricate complex, 3-dimensional reactor designs not easily fabricated using conventional methods.