A microfluidic synthesis method for preparation and regulation of 3-aminophenol formaldehyde resin spheres

Towards Industrially Important Applications of Enhanced Organic Reactions by Microfluidic Systems

This review presents a comprehensive evaluation for the manufacture of organic molecules via efficient microfluidic synthesis. Microfluidic systems provide considerably higher control over the growth, nucleation, and reaction conditions compared with traditional large-scale synthetic methods. Microfluidic synthesis has become a crucial technique for the quick, affordable, and efficient manufacture of organic and organometallic compounds with complicated characteristics and functions. Therefore, a unique, straightforward flow synthetic methodology can be developed to conduct organic syntheses and improve their efficiency.

Controlled preparation of PAMS hollow core microcapsules with high uniformity and its application in the production of GDP fuel capsules for ICF engineering

Uniform poly-α-methylstyrene (PAMS) hollow core microcapsules (HCMs) are widely used as templates to fabricate glow discharge polymer (GDP) fuel capsules, which are fundamental devices for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) engineering. The sphericity and surface finish uniformity of PAMS HCMs are critical for achieving high-quality GDP fuel capsules. In this work, millimeter-scale PAMS HCMs were fabricated by a microencapsulation technique. The sphericity and surface finish uniformity were concurrently improved using di-t-butyl peroxide (DTBP). The mechanisms of these effects were also experimentally and theoretically investigated. The results show that DTBP distributes at the O-W2 interface of W1/O/W2 compound droplets, which resists the diffusion of molecules through the O-W2 interface bidirectionally. The resisted diffusion of H2O molecules into the O phase eliminates PAMS HCM surface defects. Additionally, the resistance of fluorobenzene (FB) molecules from diffusing from the O phase into the W2 phase can effectively extend the solidification of W1/O/W2 compound droplets and thus improve the spherical uniformity of the HCMs. Using these improved PAMS HCMs, GDP fuel capsules meeting the stringent requirements for ICF engineering are prepared, and the quality of which is beyond the National Ignition Facility standard.

Investigation into the Use of Microfluidics in the Manufacture of Metallic Gold-Coated Iron Oxide Hybrid Nanoparticles

Hybrid iron oxide-gold nanoparticles are of increasing interest for applications in nanomedicine, photonics, energy storage, etc. However, they are often difficult to synthesise without experience or ‘know-how’. Additionally, standard protocols do not allow for scale up, and this is significantly hindering their future potential. In this study, we seek to determine whether microfluidics could be used as a new manufacturing process to reliably produce hybrid nanoparticles with the line of sight to their continuous manufacture and scaleup. Using a Precision Nano NanoAssemblr Benchtop^® system, we were able to perform the intermediate coating steps required in order to construct hybrid nanoparticles around 60 nm in size with similar chemical and physical properties to those synthesised in the laboratory using standard processes, with Fe/Au ratios of 1:0.6 (standard) and 1:0.7 (microfluidics), indicating that the process was suitable for their manufacture with optimisation required in order to configure a continuous manufacturing plant.