Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
12:55
Millifluidics for Chemical Synthesis and Time-resolved Mechanistic Studies
Published on: November 27, 2013
11.2K
Enabling batch and microfluidic non-thermal plasma chemistry: reactor design and testing.
P Roszkowska1, A Dickenson2, J E Higham3
1Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. anna.slater@liverpool.ac.uk.
Lab on a Chip
|May 23, 2023
Summary
Non-thermal plasma (NTP) offers a catalyst-free route for chemical synthesis. New microfluidic and batch reactors enable better understanding and control of NTP-liquid interactions for improved reaction outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Plasma chemistry
- Chemical engineering
- Materials science
Background:
- Non-thermal plasma (NTP) presents a promising avenue for chemical synthesis due to its high reactive species density and operation at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperatures.
- However, a comprehensive understanding of NTP-liquid interactions is crucial for its broader application in chemical reactions.
- Existing challenges include solvent evaporation, limited inline data collection, and suboptimal selectivity, yield, and throughput.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel reactor designs for studying non-thermal plasma (NTP) interactions with organic solvents.
- To enable controlled generation of NTP and its mixing with liquid media while preventing solvent loss.
- To facilitate inline data collection for probing NTP-solvent interactions and to establish a framework for NTP-based chemical synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Construction of a microfluidic reactor for NTP-mediated chemical reactions in organic solvents.
- Development of a corresponding batch reactor setup for control studies and scalability assessment.
- Integration of a low-cost custom mount for inline optical emission spectroscopy (OES) along the fluidic pathway.
- Demonstration of methylene blue decomposition as a model reaction in both reactor systems.
Main Results:
- The microfluidic reactor design effectively controls NTP generation and mixing with solvents, mitigating solvent evaporation.
- Inline OES successfully probed reactive species generated from NTP-solvent interactions.
- Both reactor setups demonstrated the decomposition of methylene blue, validating the reactor designs.
- A foundational framework for applying NTP in chemical synthesis was established.
Conclusions:
- The developed microfluidic and batch reactors provide essential tools for investigating NTP-liquid interactions.
- These reactors overcome key limitations, enabling controlled experiments and inline analysis.
- The study lays the groundwork for advancing NTP applications in selective, high-yield chemical synthesis.
