A novel continuous microfluidic reactor design for the controlled production of high-quality semiconductor nanocrystals

An innovative microfluidic reactor concept for the production of high quality semiconductor nanocrystals is presented. The reactor features a droplet-based, two phase flow design that eliminates the dispersion-induced broadening of the particle size distribution that is characteristic of other microfluidic designs. The flow channels in the design are arranged to spiral in and out of novel reaction coin structures that are designed to allow the thermal profile of the reactor to be tailored to the requirements of specific nanocrystal synthesis operations. A simplified prototype reactor has been constructed and tested to demonstrate the feasibility of the reactor concept. Broader impacts of the design concept with respect to the ability to permit unprecedented control over the size distribution of the particles are discussed.