title: Controlled perturbation of the thermodynamic equilibrium by microfluidic separation of porphyrin-based aggregates in a multi-component self-assembling system.
abstract: In a microfluidic H-cell, a multi-component self-assembled system is brought out-of-equilibrium by changing the bimodal composition of porphyrin stacks and pyridine-capped dimers. Driven by their different diffusivities, diffusion-controlled separation in methylcyclohexane reveals different compositions when detected in-line and off-line, which demonstrates the kinetic behaviour of this metastable system. The microfluidic technique also proves to be highly equipped to determine diffusion constants of the different assemblies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Complex Molecular System, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Floris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Helmich
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Meijer
mesh_terms: D004058:Diffusion; D019281:Dimerization; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D011166:Porphyrins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D011166:Porphyrins; D011725:Pyridines; C023666:pyridine