Impinging Jet Micromixer for Flow Synthesis of Nanocrystalline MgO: Role of Mixing/Impingement Zone

Continuous flow synthesis of nanomaterials via sol-gel process using microreactors has not received much attention. For the synthesis of gels where the reaction time is of the order of few seconds to few tens of seconds, microchannel reactors are an excellent processing option. However since a ‘gel’...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2013-12, Vol.52 (49), p.17376-17382
Main Authors: Kumar, D. V. Ravi, Prasad, B. L. V., Kulkarni, A. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Continuous flow
Impingement
Magnesium oxide
Microchannels
Nanocrystals
Sol gel process
Surface area
Synthesis
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Summary:Continuous flow synthesis of nanomaterials via sol-gel process using microreactors has not received much attention. For the synthesis of gels where the reaction time is of the order of few seconds to few tens of seconds, microchannel reactors are an excellent processing option. However since a ‘gel’ does not ‘flow’ easily, making it in a microchannel usually clogs the microchannel. We envisaged that by using an impinging jet micromixer, where the two reactants impinge and collide to form a mixing zone outside the micromixer, this problem could be circumvented. Here we report a successful implementation of continuous flow synthesis of metal oxides formed by the rapid sol-gel process taking the nanocrystalline MgO (NC-MgO) as a specific example. Furthermore, we clearly demonstrate that the nature of the mixing zone formed by the impinging jets governs the surface area of the product. Specific flow rate and impingement angle are identified that yield high surface area materials.
ISSN:0888-5885
1520-5045
DOI:10.1021/ie402012x