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.
[References]
[Related Terms]