title: The past, present and potential for microfluidic reactor technology in chemical synthesis.
abstract: The past two decades have seen far-reaching progress in the development of microfluidic systems for use in the chemical and biological sciences. Here we assess the utility of microfluidic reactor technology as a tool in chemical synthesis in both academic research and industrial applications. We highlight the successes and failures of past research in the field and provide a catalogue of chemistries performed in a microfluidic reactor. We then assess the current roadblocks hindering the widespread use of microfluidic reactors from the perspectives of both synthetic chemistry and industrial application. Finally, we set out seven challenges that we hope will inspire future research in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli Strasse 10, Zurich, 8093, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katherine S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Elvira
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Casadevall i Solvas
authors.forename: Robert C R
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wootton
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: deMello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002617:Chemical Industry; D055772:Green Chemistry Technology; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000138:chemical synthesis
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals