Engineering Functional Materials for Catalytic Smart Microreactors
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Chemical Engineering
Abstract
There has been tremendous recent progress in manufacturing very small chemical reactors with channels of the order of micrometres in size. These microreactors allow rapid evaluation of new chemical reactions compared with larger units. The current methods of manufacturing of such reactors are based on expensive and polluting electronics manufacturing techniques. This project will develop faster, cheaper and multifunctional devices with much wider range of potential application. This project involves combining new fabrication methods with recently developed catalysts to provide novel and efficient microreactors. It is a blend of materials science, engineering and chemistry involving mechanical and materials engineers (Liverpool), chemists and surface scientists (Durham) and polymer and organic chemists and chemical engineers (Bath). The complementary expertise of these groups is vital to the success of the programme.The Liverpool group in the first stage of the project will use their experience in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) to fabricate novel reactors containing channels < 100 microns in size for reactant and heat exchange fluids in a single unit. These will be evaluated as potential industrial reactors using novel catalysts developed at Bath involving magnetic nanoparticles. In the second stage, the reactant channels will be functionalised using plasma techniques at Durham and converted to catalytically active species using chemistry developed at Bath. A series of test reactions will be performed and the performance analysed by a number of methods. These will require the development of in-situ methods, in order to optimise the design of the reactors and to illustrate the potential benefits to the materials, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The end result will be a multifunctional reactor with integrated analytics optimised for selected chemical reactions of immediate relevance to the fine chemicals industries.
Publications

Laska U
(2009)
Easy-separable magnetic nanoparticle-supported Pd catalysts: Kinetics, stability and catalyst re-use
in Journal of Catalysis

Laska U
(2007)
Rhodium Containing Magnetic Nanoparticles: Effective Catalysts for Hydrogenation and the 1,4-Addition of Boronic Acids
in Catalysis Letters

U Laska
(2007)
Magnetic colloids for catalysis and separation

White J
(2010)
A modular approach to catalytic synthesis using a dual-functional linker for Click and Suzuki coupling reactions
in Tetrahedron Letters

White J
(2009)
The rhodium-catalysed 1,2-addition of arylboronic acids to aldehydes and ketones with sulfonated S-Phos
in Tetrahedron Letters

Álvarez P
(2010)
Preparation and characterization of magnetic TiO2 nanoparticles and their utilization for the degradation of emerging pollutants in water
in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
Description | Development of nanostructured magnetic catalyst for photochemical oxidation of organic wastes |
Exploitation Route | Catalyst for application in wastewater treatment |
Sectors | Chemicals Environment |
Description | A Flow Process For Aminomethylations Using Catalysts Supported On Magnetic Nanoparticles |
Amount | £220,450 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/G02703X/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2009 |
End | 06/2011 |
Description | Enhanced activity and reusability of TiO2 loaded magnetic photo-catalysts |
Organisation | University of Extremadura |
Department | Faculty of Medicine |
Country | Spain |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Synthesis and characterisation of magnetic nanocatalysts |
Collaborator Contribution | Photocatalytic oxidation |
Impact | Publications: P.M. Álvarez, J. Jaramillo, F. López-Piñero; P. Plucinski, Preparation and characterization of magnetic TiO2 nanoparticles and their utilisation for the degradation of emerging pollutants in water, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 100, 338-345 (2011). A. Rey, D.H. Quinones, P.M. Álvarez, F.J. Beltrán, P.K. Plucinski, Simulated solar-light assisted photocatalytic ozonation of metoprolol over titania-coated magnetic activated carbon, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 111-112, 246-253 (2012). D.H. Quiñones, A. Rey, P.M. Álvarez, F.J. Beltrán, P.K. Plucinski, Enhanced activity and reusability of TiO2 loaded magnetic activated carbon for solar photocatalytic ozonation, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 144, 96-106 (2014). |
Start Year | 2009 |
Description | MCP Equipment |
Organisation | MCP Equipment |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
Start Year | 2006 |