(30j) Scalable Manufacturing of Inorganic Nanomaterials Using Jet Mixing Reactors

Typical laboratory batch reactors for inorganic nanoparticle synthesis can be difficult to scale since rapid particle nucleation and growth require efficient mixing to produce monodisperse particle size distribution (PDI). As the size of the reactor increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve uniform temperature and concentration, leading to variations in the size, shape, and composition of the nanoparticles. These factors limit the use of inorganic nanoparticles in commercial applications ranging from energy to healthcare. Continuous microreactor-based synthesis is an attractive alternative, providing a uniform particle size distribution with mixing times of a few milliseconds. This work explores a novel jet-mixing reactor (JMR) design consisting of an axial flow with two jets impinging on the mainline, resulting in a single stream that exits the reactor. Previous work in our laboratory successfully synthesized metal nanoparticles and inorganic nanocatalysts like Pd@TiO₂ in JMR at room temperature using Palladium nanoparticles pre-synthesized in batch. The current ongoing research builds on this by integrating batch methods into a single continuous process using JMRs in series to produce Pd@TiO₂ which requires balancing flow rates and heating/cooling rates. Because Palladium nanoparticles are sensitive to reaction temperature, we are investigating the construction and characterization of the jet mixing reactor at high temperatures through nanoparticle synthesis and scaling analysis. Palladium-catalyzed reactions for biomass upgrading will then be further studied to quantify the yield of these heterogeneous nanocatalysts. Mixing time and size distribution studies will then be further explored to address scalability issues.