Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMM
Microstructure and visible light increase the efficiency of photochemical syntheses
Synthetic organic photochemistry has been extensively explored over the past century, often paving the way for the preparation of complex organic molecules that were not accessible through the classical route of thermal chemistry. Several photochemical syntheses have found their way into industrial applications for the production of everyday chemicals. However, until recently, photochemistry has not been fully exploited as a synthetic method in organic chemistry. With the emergence of novel photocatalytic and photophysical concepts for the use of visible light, the research field of synthetic organic photochemistry has developed into an extremely diverse and widely recognized synthetic method in recent years. In parallel, continuous-flow chemistry and micro process technology have become established tools in chemical synthesis and have proven to be perfect partners for the advancement of photochemistry in academic and industrial research.
Microstructured flow reactors are ideal for carrying out photochemical syntheses by bringing the incident light into perfect contact with the liquid and gaseous phases and solid catalysts in the microstructures. A precise control of the photochemical process takes place via an exactly defined irradiation time of the process streams in the channels or capillaries through their flow rate. We use energy-efficient LED technology for wavelength-selective irradiation in the synthesis. The small size of the light emitters available today allows these light sources to be specifically adapted to a wide variety of microreactor architectures. You can get an up-to-date overview of our reactors and laboratory systems for continuous photosynthesis here:
