MULTIPHASE FLOW REACTORS FOR CATALYTICALLY ACTIVE NANOMATERIALS SYNTHESES AND GAS-LIQUID REACTIONS

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation is on the design and development of robust and stable triphasic flow reactors to enable intensified and scalable chemical and material synthesis. The production of ultra-small and catalytically active nanoparticles with strong reducing agents in continuous flow reactor poses dual challenges of fouling and rapid liberation of gaseous by-products. In order to circumvent these challenges, we have developed a robust triphasic flow reactor for the continuous, litres-per-hour synthesis of ultra-small metallic nanoparticle. Next, we further developed this system to enable multi-steps material synthesis, which are synthesis of ultra-small nanoparticles and their attachment on support material simultaneously, to produce supported nanoparticles catalyst with tunable metal loading in a single millireactor. On the other hand, a novel methodology to obtain intrinsic kinetic data of an intrinsically fast multiphase reaction by using a triphasic flow reactor has been developed by coupling the experimental and model findings. The works covered in this thesis address the limitations faced in conventional continuous flow reactor applications in continuous nanomaterial manufacturing and pharmaceutical syntheses.