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Project

Continuous Flow Electrosynthesis of Macromolecules in a Sonicated Microreactor Setup

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is a versatile technique for exerting precise control over polymer molecular weights, molecular weight distributions, and complex architectures. Electrochemically mediated ATRP (eATRP), as a young member in the ATRP family, is particularly interesting for its various advantages such as in situ generation of active catalyst, real-time control of reaction rate, and enhanced tolerance to oxygen. A simplified version of eATRP (seATRP) that reduces the complexity of the reaction setup has also been developed by the introduction of a sacrificial aluminum anode. However, due to the electrochemical nature of seATRP, there are still some inherent limitations, e.g., difficulty in scaling up and the need for supporting electrolyte. Flow chemistry and continuous flow microreactors present solutions to these challenges. The tiny spacing between electrodes offers the possibility of a self-supported reaction, and the very large reactor surface-to-volume ratio could also improve the mass transfer and thus increase the reaction rate. Furthermore, the simple scale-up strategy could also address the scalability challenge. Despite these advantages, mass transfer in a continuous flow microreactor generally relies on diffusion, and therefore, the mixing efficiency is limited. One promising tool to solve these problems is ultrasound. When applied at appropriate conditions, ultrasound is able to induce an acoustic streaming inside the reactor, thus enhancing the mixing efficiency. Therefore, the main aim of this thesis is to investigate the application of a novel sonicated microreactor in continuous flow electrosynthesis of macromolecules, with a focus on the seATRP reaction.

Date:9 Oct 2019 →  30 Oct 2023
Keywords:microreactor, flow chemistry, ultrasound, polymerization
Disciplines:Heat and mass transfer, General chemical and biochemical engineering not elsewhere classified
Project type:PhD project