Fraunhofer Institute for Microengineering and Microsystems IMMOrganic electrochemistry is regarded a future technology for the environmentally friendly production of chemicals. There is currently a renaissance of electrochemistry, especially for the synthesis of organic compounds. It is driven by the search for “green” synthesis routes and by the emergence of novel synthetic strategies. The direct use of cheap sustainably generated (excess) electricity presents an opportunity for cost benefits over regular chemical reagents. Suitable electrochemical reactors are essential for the successful operation of electrosynthetic processes. They simultaneously need to be flexible and tailored for the desired reaction conditions.
Fraunhofer IMM has a long track in developing and realizing electrochemical reactors for a wide range of electrolytic processes. Electrochemical microreactors are characterized by their small electrode distances and high surface-to-volume ratios. Thin-gap electrochemical microreactors offer the following benefits:
- Due to the optimized design, current density and fluid distribution of high homogeneity are achieved.
- Reduction of the amount of required supporting electrolyte or even supporting electrolyte-free operation
- Large electrode surface area to volume ratio provides high space-time yield
- Integrated heat exchanger structures within a cell or reactor efficiently dissipate reaction heat, preventing hot spots and ensuring reliable temperature control.
- Small electrode distances induce low ohmic resistances and correspondingly low voltage drops.
- Enhanced selectivity by constant and uniform current density distribution, homogeneous flow and defined residence times.
