Automating chemistry and materials synthesis, discovery and digitizaton with 3D-printers and 3D-printer-based robots

摘要

3D-printing is an emerging technology which promises to revolutionize many areas of materials, bio-materials, and synthetic chemical discovery as well as manufacturing, transforming the relationships between the design, manufacture and operation of functional devices. To date, 3D-printing technologies have been applied to varied applications such as large scale industrial prototyping, production of tissue growth scaffolds, production of biomimetic microvascular systems and the manufacture of highly specialized electronic and pneumatic devices. One area of science and technology where 3D-printing has so far failed to make a significant impact is in the field of chemical and biochemical synthesis, despite the vast potential that bespoke, 3D-printed chemical reactors could display for parallel optimisation of reaction sequences, automated synthesis and interrogation of complex interlinked chemical equilibria. Hence the use of 3D-printing raises the possibility of liberating chemical syntheses from the laboratory environment by using such fabrication techniques to produce self-contained chemical reactors where the starting materials of a synthetic path are included in the production of the device, which can then be used to perform the chemical synthesis in environments outside the laboratory setting, see Figures. Recent work in our group has developed the concept of 'reactionware', i.e. reaction vessels that combine reactor and reagents, allowing both chemical and architectural control of the reaction outcome. This approach could have great benefits in making chemical synthesis more accessible, both to those with no formal training in synthesis and in situations where laboratory infrastructure is lacking (such as the developing world). The concept of reactionware, allied to the rapidity and versatility of 3D-printing techniques allows the chemist to seek out entirely new methods of interacting with chemical processes and brings a new dimension to their design.