Free impinging jet microreactors: controlling reactive flows via surface tension and fluid viscoelasticity

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Continuous flow microreactors offer advantages for chemical synthesis.
• Controlling fluid interfaces is key for microfluidic reaction optimization.
• Understanding the interplay of fluid properties and reaction kinetics is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate impinging free liquid jets as wall-free continuous microreactors.
• To understand how surface tension and viscoelasticity affect microreactor performance.
• To control particle size and reaction selectivity in precipitation processes.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing impinging free liquid jets to form a thin liquid sheet for reactions.
• Employing model fluids: sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions for surface tension studies and polymer solutions for viscoelasticity studies.
• Conducting parallel-competitive reactions to quantitatively assess mixing and kinetics.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the formation of colloidal particles and enhanced micromixing using impinging jets.
• Showcased the control over free surface flow morphology using polymer solutions.
• Established a quantitative link between free surface flow characteristics and reaction kinetics, enabling particle size control.

Conclusions:

• Impinging free liquid jets serve as effective wall-free microreactors for rapid and controlled chemical synthesis.
• Surface tension and fluid viscoelasticity significantly influence the hydrodynamics and reaction outcomes.
• This approach offers precise control over particle formation and reaction selectivity for advanced materials synthesis.