The small dimensions of microreactors make them very suitable for catalytic processes, since mass and heat transfer is strongly enhanced. Microreactors prepared from ceramic materials are very interesting because they are more thermally and chemically stable than polymeric membranes. Ceramic microreactors have great potential at temperatures above 200 °C or when high chemical stability is needed. Our research is focused on the ceramic microreactors with three dimensional porous structures suitable for multiphase catalytic reactions. Multiphase catalytic reactions are of great interest to both the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Recently, an efficient micro channel reactor was developed for a gas-liquid hydrogenation reaction [1]. The aim of this work is to find a reliable and economic fabrication method for preparation of three dimensional porous ceramic structures. The method should also allow precise structuring on one hundred micrometer level. Alumina based ceramic is used as relatively well know material with high chemical and thermal resistivity. Two main routes of preparation 3-D structured microreactor are discussed. Replication method is using polymer-particle (ceramic) composite structured by the casting technique. The stacked assembly is then converted into a ceramic microreactor by a sintering process. Templating method is used for channels formation into the polymer-particle composite, which is followed by sintering procedure. Advantages and disadvantages both methods related to multiphase catalytic reactions are compared and discussed.
展开▼
