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Micromachines
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Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition
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Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "C：Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 12826

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yangcheng Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Interests: microchemical system; process intensification; liquid phase nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A sustainable society needs green, efficient, and precise chemical processes. To this end, process intensification at various scales is a common and effective strategy. Recently, micromachines as smart tools for process monitoring and manipulation have been drawing increasing attention from scientists and engineers due to concerns in recognition vision, manipulation capacity, and environmental footprint. For example, flow synthesis based on microtubes opens new reaction windows to resolve challenges in low atoms and energy utilization and large intermediate materials hold-up; microfluidic devices enable the development of labs-on-chips for high-throughput detection. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers and review articles that focus on all kinds of micromachines towards chemical process intensification. These may include fixed equipment like micromixers, microreactors, and micro-separators, or variable element like microdroplets, microbubbles, and micelles, as long they have functions or potential for the improvement of chemical processes. Papers may be discussed with a focus on a chemical process, a micromachine, or an integrated system.

Prof. Dr. Yangcheng Lu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chemical process intensification
  • microreactor
  • chemical synthesis
  • separation
  • microfluidics
  • microfabrication
  • microdevices

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Related Special Issues

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4895 KiB  
Article
Role and Effect of Meso-Structuring Surfactants on Properties and Formation Mechanism of Microfluidic-Enabled Mesoporous Silica Microspheres
by Nizar Bchellaoui, Qisheng Xu, Xuming Zhang, El-Eulmi Bendeif, Rachid Bennacer and Abdel I. El Abed
Micromachines 2023, 14(5), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14050936 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
We have shown in a previous work that the combination of the emulsion solvent evaporation technique and droplet-based microfluidics allows for the synthesis of well-defined monodisperse mesoporous silica microcapsules (hollow microspheres), whose size, shape and composition may be finely and easily controlled. In [...] Read more.
We have shown in a previous work that the combination of the emulsion solvent evaporation technique and droplet-based microfluidics allows for the synthesis of well-defined monodisperse mesoporous silica microcapsules (hollow microspheres), whose size, shape and composition may be finely and easily controlled. In this study, we focus on the crucial role played by the popular Pluronic® P123 surfactant, used for controlling the mesoporosity of synthesised silica microparticles. We show in particular, that although both types of initial precursor droplets, prepared with and without P123 meso-structuring agent, namely P123+ and P123− droplets, have a similar diameter (≃30 μm) and a similar TEOS silica precursor concentration (0.34 M), the resulting microparticles exhibit two noticeably different sizes and mass densities. Namely, 10 μm and 0.55 g/cm3 for P123+ microparticles, and 5.2 μm and 1.4 g/cm3 for P123− microparticles. To explain such differences, we used optical and scanning electron microscopies, small-angle X-ray diffraction and BET measurements to analyse structural properties of both types of microparticles and show that in the absence of Pluronic molecules, P123− microdroplets divide during their condensation process, on average, into three smaller droplets before condensing into silica solid microspheres with a smaller size and a higher mass density than those obtained in the presence of P123 surfactant molecules. Based on these results and on condensation kinetics analysis, we also propose an original mechanism for the formation of silica microspheres in the presence and in the absence of the meso-structuring and pore-forming P123 molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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10 pages, 1563 KiB  
Article
Efficient Synthesis of a Schiff Base Copper(II) Complex Using a Microfluidic Device
by Masashi Kobayashi, Takashiro Akitsu, Masahiro Furuya, Tetsushi Sekiguchi, Shuichi Shoji, Takashi Tanii and Daiki Tanaka
Micromachines 2023, 14(4), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14040890 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2141
Abstract
The efficient synthesis of amino acid Schiff base copper(II) complexes using a microfluidic device was successfully achieved. Schiff bases and their complexes are remarkable compounds due to their high biological activity and catalytic function. Conventionally, products are synthesized under reaction conditions of 40 [...] Read more.
The efficient synthesis of amino acid Schiff base copper(II) complexes using a microfluidic device was successfully achieved. Schiff bases and their complexes are remarkable compounds due to their high biological activity and catalytic function. Conventionally, products are synthesized under reaction conditions of 40 °C for 4 h using a beaker-based method. However, in this paper, we propose using a microfluidic channel to enable quasi-instantaneous synthesis at room temperature (23 °C). The products were characterized using UV–Vis, FT–IR, and MS spectroscopy. The efficient generation of compounds using microfluidic channels has the potential to significantly contribute to the efficiency of drug discovery and material development due to high reactivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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29 pages, 3877 KiB  
Article
Finger-Actuated Micropump of Constant Flow Rate without Backflow
by NurFarrahain Nadia Ahmad, Nik Nazri Nik Ghazali, Ahmad Taufiq Abdul Rani, Mohammad Hafiz Othman, Chia Ching Kee, Prastika Krisma Jiwanti, Arturo Rodríguez-Gómez and Yew Hoong Wong
Micromachines 2023, 14(4), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14040881 - 19 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2676
Abstract
This paper presents a finger-actuated micropump with a consistent flow rate and no backflow. The fluid dynamics in interstitial fluid (ISF) extraction microfluidics are studied through analytical, simulation, and experimental methods. Head losses, pressure drop, diodocity, hydrogel swelling, criteria for hydrogel absorption, and [...] Read more.
This paper presents a finger-actuated micropump with a consistent flow rate and no backflow. The fluid dynamics in interstitial fluid (ISF) extraction microfluidics are studied through analytical, simulation, and experimental methods. Head losses, pressure drop, diodocity, hydrogel swelling, criteria for hydrogel absorption, and consistency flow rate are examined in order to access microfluidic performance. In terms of consistency, the experimental result revealed that after 20 s of duty cycles with full deformation on the flexible diaphragm, the output pressure became uniform and the flow rate remained at nearly constant levels of 2.2 μL/min. The flow rate discrepancy between the experimental and predicted flow rates is around 22%. In terms of diodicity, when the serpentine microchannel and hydrogel-assisted reservoir are added to the microfluidic system integration, the diodicity increases by 2% (Di = 1.48) and 34% (Di = 1.96), respectively, compared to when the Tesla integration (Di = 1.45) is used alone. A visual and experimentally weighted analysis finds no signs of backflow. These significant flow characteristics demonstrate their potential usage in many low-cost and portable microfluidic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 2609 KiB  
Article
Micromixing Intensification within a Combination of T-Type Micromixer and Micropacked Bed
by Zhou Lan and Yangcheng Lu
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010045 - 24 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1767
Abstract
The combination of microstructural units is an effective strategy to improve the micromixing of liquid phase systems, especially viscous systems. However, how the microstructural combination influences micromixing is still not systematically investigated. In this work, the Villermaux/Dushman reaction is used to study the [...] Read more.
The combination of microstructural units is an effective strategy to improve the micromixing of liquid phase systems, especially viscous systems. However, how the microstructural combination influences micromixing is still not systematically investigated. In this work, the Villermaux/Dushman reaction is used to study the micromixing performance of the viscous system of the glycerol–water in the combination of a T-type micromixer and a micropacked bed. Micromixing performances under various structural parameters and fluid characteristics are determined and summarized, and the micromixing laws are revealed by dimensionless analysis considering the specific spatial characteristics and temporal sequence in the combined microstructures. It achieves good agreement with experimental results and enables guidance for the design and scaling-up of the combined T-type micromixer and micropacked bed towards micromixing intensification in viscous reaction systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 5343 KiB  
Article
Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Dipolar ZnO Nanoparticles and Microdroplets
by Najla Ghifari, Rachid Bennacer, Adil Chahboun and Abdel I. El Abed
Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091522 - 14 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1698
Abstract
In this work, we investigated the orientation and the polarization of ZnO nanoparticles, which serve as building blocks of highly monodisperse microspheres, using a droplet microfluidic-assisted synthesis method. We observe, for the first time, a square lattice organization of liquid microdroplets, in a [...] Read more.
In this work, we investigated the orientation and the polarization of ZnO nanoparticles, which serve as building blocks of highly monodisperse microspheres, using a droplet microfluidic-assisted synthesis method. We observe, for the first time, a square lattice organization of liquid microdroplets, in a steady state, at the oil/water interface. Such square organization reveals clearly a dipolar organization of ZnO nanoparticles at the surfaces of droplets at the early stage of ZnO nanocrystal aggregation and microsphere formation. We discuss different models of organization of ZnO nanoparticles and show that the well-known tip-streaming effect in droplets in microfluidics explains the reason for the obtained dipolar droplets. The square organization is illustrated and explained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 4897 KiB  
Article
NO2 Sensing Behavior of Compacted Chemically Treated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
by Nikita I. Lapekin, Valeriy V. Golovakhin, Ekaterina Yu. Kim and Alexander G. Bannov
Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091495 - 8 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1888
Abstract
This article is devoted to the investigation of the sensing behavior of chemically treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) at room temperature. Chemical treatment of MWNTs was carried out with a solution of either sulfuric or chromic acids. The materials obtained were investigated by [...] Read more.
This article is devoted to the investigation of the sensing behavior of chemically treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) at room temperature. Chemical treatment of MWNTs was carried out with a solution of either sulfuric or chromic acids. The materials obtained were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman-spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The active layer of chemiresistive gas sensors was obtained by cold pressing (compaction) at 11 MPa of powders of bare and treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The sensing properties of pellets were investigated using a custom dynamic type of station at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C). Detection of NO2 was performed in synthetic air (79 vol% N2, 21 vol% O2). It was found that the chemical treatment significantly affects the sensing properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, which is indicated by increasing the response of the sensors toward 100–500 ppm NO2 and lower concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micromachines for Chemical Process Intensification, 2nd Edition)
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