Reactions in Microdroplets Accelerated by Plasma

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Chemical reactions are normally conducted in bulk solution. In some cases, the rate of such bulk reactions is quite slow, limiting the throughput of a synthetic route. In recent years, a novel field of research based on microdroplet chemistry is emerging as an analytical tool for reaction monitoring, as well as a mean for accelerating chemical reactions. By using droplet chemistry, reaction rates can be increased by several orders of magnitude compared to the bulk counterpart. It is therefore beneficial to systematically investigate the reactivity of microdroplets and to understand the role of the underlying mechanism and individual parameters that can influence their reactivity (e.g., pH, temperature, concentration and surface effects). A better fundamental knowledge will make microdroplet reactions faster and allow for novel approaches to be developed. The goal of my research proposal is to achieve a broader fundamental understanding of microdroplet chemistry, and use this knowledge to investigate the novel field of plasma-microdroplets interaction, which is expected to open the doors for a completely novel chemical reactivity. The highly reactive species generated by plasmas will be allowed to react with the highly reactive surface of microdroplets. The possible outcome is a substantial increase in reactivity, promoting reaction pathways normally not significant in bulk or even droplets. By exploiting the unexplored field of plasma-droplets interaction, I plan to identify reaction pathways that can significantly increase reaction yields of high added-value compounds, aiming at more sustainable, efficient and competitive industrial synthetic processes, and at the possible conversion of existing waste products into chemicals which could still be useful for our society.