The development and numerical simulation of a plasma microreactor dedicated to chemical synthesis

Abstract

A plasma microreactor dedicated to chemical synthesis has been conceived and developed using soft-lithography techniques. In this study, we propose to use highly reactive species created by the plasma discharge to replace traditionally used chemical initiators. A dielectric barrier discharge plasma was generated under atmospheric pressure and then dispersed into a continuous liquid phase with a T-junction geometry. Injected metal electrodes made it possible for in situ optical observations with an intensified charge-coupled device camera. No signal was detected when analyzing the exhaust liquid by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Numerical simulations confirmed that only low quantities of hydroxyl radicals could diffuse into the liquid phase, giving a concentration of DMPO-OH of 10-6 mol/l, below the detection limit of ESR.