microreactor


[DEFINITION]
device for a chemical reaction process, which is on the micrometre scale.

[DESCRIPTION]
A microreactor, which has a chamber-like shape and is on the micrometre scale, can be one of the processing units in a chemical process. The feature of microreactors is that temperature-, pressure- and concentration-gradients increase as scale is diminished, which increases thermal conductivity, mass transport and diffusion. For instance, when the size is reduced to 1/100, molecular diffusion time drops to 1/10 000. Other potential advantages of a microreactor include better control of reaction conditions, improved safety, and improved portability. The better control results from the precise controllability of the temperature due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of the reactor. The manufacturing processes, materials and shapes of the microreactor vary with the applications.

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