Composite Polymer/Oxide Hollow Fiber Contactors: Versatile and Scalable Flow Reactors for Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions in Organic Synthesis

Abstract

Flexible composite polymer/oxide hollow fibers are used as flow reactors for heterogeneously catalyzed reactions in organic synthesis. The fiber synthesis allows for a variety of supported catalysts to be embedded in the walls of the fibers, thus leading to a diverse set of reactions that can be catalyzed in flow. Additionally, the fiber synthesis is scalable (e.g. several reactor beds containing many fibers in a module may be used) and thus they could potentially be used for the large-scale production of organic compounds. Incorporating heterogeneous catalysts in the walls of the fibers presents an alternative to a traditional packed-bed reactor and avoids large pressure drops, which is a crucial challenge when employing microreactors. Go with the flow: Composite polymer/oxide hollow fibers have been used as a flow reactor platform for heterogeneously catalyzed reactions in organic synthesis. Embedding catalysts in the fiber walls avoids clogging of the flow channels and provides a short catalyst bed. Three different catalysts and reaction types were successfully performed in flow, thereby demonstrating the versatility of the fibers as reactors.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical Reactors; Copolymers; Packed Beds; Polymers; Rhodium; Flow Chemistry; Heterogeneous Catalyst; Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions; Heterogeneously Catalyzed Reactions; Hollow Fibers; Hollow Fiber Contactors; Large Scale Productions; Organic Synthesis; Fibers; Heterogeneous Catalysis

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1433-7851; 1521-3773

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2015 Wiley-VCH, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2015

PubMed ID

25865826

Link to Full Text

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