Dynamic Liquid–Liquid Interface: Applying a Spinning Interfacial Microreactor to Actively Converge Biphasic Reactants for the Enhanced Interfacial Reaction

Dynamic Liquid–Liquid Interface: Applying a Spinning Interfacial Microreactor to Actively Converge Biphasic Reactants for the Enhanced Interfacial Reaction

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

10.1021/acsami.2c12015

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c12015

Li Shiuan Ng, Carice Chong, Xin Yi Lok, Veronica Pereira, Zhi Zhong Ang, Xuemei Han, Haitao Li, Hiang Kwee Lee

26 September 2022

Ng, L. S., Chong, C., Lok, X. Y., Pereira, V., Ang, Z. Z., Han, X., Li, H., & Lee, H. K. (2022). Dynamic Liquid–Liquid Interface: Applying a Spinning Interfacial Microreactor to Actively Converge Biphasic Reactants for the Enhanced Interfacial Reaction. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 14(39), 45005–45012. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c12015

A liquid–liquid interfacial reaction combines reactants with large polarity disparity to achieve greener and more efficient chemistry that is otherwise challenging in traditional single-phase systems. However, current interfacial approaches suffer from the need for a large amount of solvent/reactant/emulsifier and poor reaction performance arising from intrinsic thermodynamic constraints. Herein, we achieve an efficient interfacial reaction by creating a magnetic-responsive, microscale liquid–liquid interface and exploit its dynamic spinning motion to generate vortex-like hydrodynamic flows that rapidly converge biphasic reactants to the point-of-reaction. Notably, the spinning of this functional interface at 800 rpm boosts the reaction efficiency and its apparent equilibrium constant by > 500-fold and 10^5-fold, respectively, higher than conventional methods that utilize bulk and/or non-dynamic liquid interfaces, even with external mechanical stirring. By driving reaction equilibrium toward favorable product formation, our unique design offers enormous opportunities to realize efficient multiphasic reactions crucial for diverse applications in chemical synthesis, environmental remediation, and even molecular recycling.

Publisher Copyright

This research / project is supported by the Agency of Science, Technology and Research, Singapore - AME YIRG
Grant Reference no. : A2084c0158

This research / project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore - AcRF Tier 1
Grant Reference no. : RS13/20

This research / project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore - AcRF Tier 1
Grant Reference no. : RG4/21

This research / project is supported by the Nanyang Technological University - Start-Up Grants
Grant Reference no. : NA

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c12015

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/19907

1944-8252
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Institute of Materials Research and Engineering