Continuous flowing micro-reactor for aqueous reaction at temperature higher than 100 °C

Some aqueous reactions in biological or chemical fields are accomplished at a high temperature. When the reaction temperature is higher than 100 °C, an autoclave reactor is usually required to elevate the boiling point of the water by creating a high-pressure environment in a closed system. This work presented an alternative continuous flowing microfluidic solution for aqueous reaction with a reaction temperature higher than 100 °C. The pressure regulating function was successfully fulfilled by a small microchannel based on a delicate hydrodynamic design. Combined with micro heater and temperature sensor that integrated in a single chip by utilizing silicon-based microfabrication techniques, this pressure regulating microchannel generated a high-pressure/high-temperature environment in the upstream reaction zone when the reagents continuously flow through the chip. As a preliminary demonstration, thermal digestion of aqueous total phosphorus sample was achieved in this continuous flowing micro-reactor at a working pressure of 990 kPa (under the working flow rate of 20 nl/s) along with a reaction temperature of 145 °C. This continuous flowing microfluidic solution for high-temperature reaction may find applications in various micro total analysis systems.