A Contiunuous and Fully Scalable Interfacial Reactor for Nanoparticle Production

This discipline hopping project is proposed on the basis of mutual interest of the two academics, stimulated by the recent EPSRC event aimed at interfacing Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, with a strong desire to build critical mass in developing a novel continuous and fully scalable interfacial reactor for producing high value-added nanoparticulate products. These materials have potential applications in various industrial sectors such as electronics, fine chemicals, catalysis, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, healthcare and medicine. The aim is to establish a substantial long term collaboration that bridges the chemistry-chemical engineering interface, which will have the value-added effect of pump-priming new areas of research of both academic and industrial relevance. The project is concerned about a novel reacting system for continuous production of nanoparticles through interfacial templating, and further development of the system for large scale production. The research builds upon the complementary expertise of the applicants in reactor design, interfacial physics, interfacial chemistry, redox processes, nanoparticle characterisation, fluid mechanics, and multiphase transport phenomena. It will enable initial design of a fully scalable reacting system and preliminary experiments on the system.The two academics have each established active and flourishing research groups: they are keen to explore the broader applications of their research, using this EPSRC scheme as a springboard. This project will enable them to realise their ambitions in this direction and to gain an in-depth understanding of the state-of-the-art in the other participant's discipline.