Abstract

Supercritical Microfluidics: Investigating and using Supercritical Fluids at Small Scales

Samuel Marre, Researcher, Universite De Bordeaux

Over the last few years, a new field of investigation, so called: high pressure/high temperature microfluidics has quickly developed with the idea to combine the advantages of size reduction and hydrodynamics control provided by microfluidics tools (advanced control fo the operating conditions, reproducibility, in situ and inline characterization tehcniques implementation, fast screening capability, improvement of heat and mass transfer and low reagent consumption during optimization) to the properties of fluids systems operated in harsch conditions (hydrothermal/solvothermal and supercritical conditions).[1] The recent development of microreactors able to withstand such conditions has opened avenues towards numerous opportunities to study and characterize a large numbers of processes, which are generally limited to the use of blind stainless steel devices.[2] This talk will first highlight the main strategies used to develop high pressure / high temperature compatible microsystems. Then, some applications of HP/HT microreactors will later be presented. In particular, I will focus on the recent work realized at ICMCB concerning: The development of microfluidics platform for investigating phase diagrams for a quick access to complex mixtures thermodynamics[3]The process of organic materials in particular semi-conducting polymer P3HT and their use for organic electronics and their use in organic electronics.[4]The synthesis of inorganic nanostructures nanomaterials at supercritical conditions in microreactors,[5] The synthesis of nanomaterials in supercritical microreactors is indeed a versatile approach that takes advantages of the fast heat transfers provided by the microfluidic devices, while benefiting from the high supersaturations occurring at supercritical conditions, leading to high quality nanocrystals.