Continuous Flow Pickering Emulsion Catalysis in Droplet Microfluidics Studied with In Situ Raman Microscopy |
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| Authors: | Carolien M Vis Dr Anne-Eva Nieuwelink Prof Dr Bert M Weckhuysen Prof Dr Pieter C A Bruijnincx |
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| Institution: | 1. Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
These authors contributed equally to this work. |
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| Abstract: | Pickering emulsions (PEs), emulsions stabilized by solid particles, have shown to be a versatile tool for biphasic catalysis. Here, we report a droplet microfluidic approach for flow PE (FPE) catalysis, further expanding the possibilities for PE catalysis beyond standard batch PE reactions. This microreactor allowed for the inline analysis of the catalytic process with in situ Raman spectroscopy, as demonstrated for the acid-catalyzed deacetalization of benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal to form benzaldehyde. Furthermore, the use of the FPE system showed a nine fold improvement in yield compared to the simple biphasic flow system (FBS), highlighting the advantage of emulsification. Finally, FPE allowed an antagonistic set of reactions, the deacetalization–Knoevenagel condensation, which proved less efficient in FBS due to rapid acid-base quenching. The droplet microfluidic system thus offers a versatile new extension of PE catalysis. |
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| Keywords: | biphasic catalysis droplet microfluidics Pickering emulsions Raman spectroscopy |
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