Microreactors for Dynamic, High Throughput Screening of Fluid/Liquid Molecular Catalysis

Abstract

Polyphasic fluid catalysis can be screened by a microreactor, which employs injected catalyst and substrate pulses and a micromixer. Screening both liquid/liquid and gas/liquid processes has been demonstrated to levels of 20 μg rhodium per test and throughput testing frequencies (TTFs) up to 20 h−1. The picture shows a representation of the liquid/liquid apparatus, in which the substrate S and catalyst streams mix by flowing through a micromixer (see scanning electron microscopy image, top right) to form the product P, quantified by standard analytical methods.