title: 3D printed fluidics with embedded analytic functionality for automated reaction optimisation.
abstract: Additive manufacturing or '3D printing' is being developed as a novel manufacturing process for the production of bespoke micro- and milliscale fluidic devices. When coupled with online monitoring and optimisation software, this offers an advanced, customised method for performing automated chemical synthesis. This paper reports the use of two additive manufacturing processes, stereolithography and selective laser melting, to create multifunctional fluidic devices with embedded reaction monitoring capability. The selectively laser melted parts are the first published examples of multifunctional 3D printed metal fluidic devices. These devices allow high temperature and pressure chemistry to be performed in solvent systems destructive to the majority of devices manufactured via stereolithography, polymer jetting and fused deposition modelling processes previously utilised for this application. These devices were integrated with commercially available flow chemistry, chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis equipment, allowing automated online and inline optimisation of the reaction medium. This set-up allowed the optimisation of two reactions, a ketone functional group interconversion and a fused polycyclic heterocycle formation, via spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Capel
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Yuqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edmondson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Goodridge
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
authors.forename: Steven D R
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Christie
keywords: 3D printing; inline reaction analysis; reaction optimisation; selective laser melting; stereolithography