Polymer-based microreactors turn inorganic to beat organic solvent attacks and reduce prices.rnDong-Pyo Kim from the Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea, and colleagues used inorganic polymers to make microreactors that are resistant to attack by organic solvents and should be cheap to manufacture.rnMicroreactors are miniaturised devices where reactions take place within a confined space typically in the form of microchannels on a chip. They have a number of advantages over conventional reaction systems including yield, energy efficiency, reaction control and safety.rnA variety of materials have been used to make microreactors, including metal, silicon, glass and polymers. However, while metallic and silicon-based devices are durable they are expensive to make. Conversely, polymer reactors are cheap to manufacture but prone to attack by organic solvents limiting their use. Now Kim's team has developed inorganic polymerrnmicroreactors which offer the best of both worlds.
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