Design and Operational Limits of an ATR-FTIR Spectroscopic Microreactor for Investigating Reactions at Liquid-Solid Interface

AGUIRRE, ALEJO; KLER, PABLO; BERLI, CLAUDIO; COLLINS, SEBASTIÁN E.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. 243 p. 197 - 206

1385-8947

This work presents the design and characterization of an optimized attenuated total reflection (ATR) microfluidic cell to assess intrinsic kinetic parameters of reactions at the liquid/solid interface under chemical control. A theoretical and computational investigation of convection, diffusion, and adsorption is presented. Transport dynamics in transient-flow experiments is characterized by a convective and diffusive mass transport of the solution species to the surface of the ATR crystal. Criteria to determine the mass transport limitations of the adsorption process are presented as a function of the Damkohler and Biot numbers.