Diphasic Gas/Liquid Plasma Reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018369778-A1
Application number	US-201616060605-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention relates to a microfluidic or millifluidic device ( 1 ) comprising: —a support ( 2 ) made at least partially of a dielectric material, the support ( 2 ) comprising a first inlet ( 21 a ) adapted to be connected to a first reservoir containing gas, a second inlet ( 21 b ) adapted to be connected to a second reservoir containing liquid, an outlet ( 22 ) adapted to be connected to a receiver container containing gas and/or liquid, and a main microchannel or millichannel ( 3 ) present in the dielectric material allowing the liquid and the gas to flow from the inlets towards the outlet, —one or several ground electrode(s) ( 4 ) embedded in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel ( 3 ), and —one or several high-voltage electrode(s) ( 5 ) embedded fi in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel ( 3 ), wherein the high-voltage electrode(s) ( 5 ) and the ground electrode(s) ( 4 ) are located on opposite sides of the main microchannel or millichannel ( 3 ) so as to be able to generate an electric field inside the main microchannel or millichannel ( 3 ). The present invention relates also to a method for generating a plasma in a continuous manner using such a microfluidic or millifluidic device ( 1 ).

First claim

1 . A method for generating a plasma in a continuous manner using the microfluidic or millifluidic device comprising:
a support made at least partially of a dielectric material, the support comprising a first inlet adapted to be connected to a first reservoir containing gas, a second inlet adapted to be connected to a second reservoir containing liquid, an outlet adapted to be connected to a receiver container containing gas and/or liquid, and a main microchannel or millichannel present in the dielectric material allowing the liquid and the gas to flow from the inlets towards the outlet, one or several ground electrode(s) embedded in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel, and one or several high-voltage electrode(s) embedded in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel, wherein the high-voltage electrode(s) and the ground electrode(s) are located on opposite sides of the main microchannel or millichannel so as to be able to generate an electric field inside the main microchannel or millichannel, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a liquid and making the said liquid circulating through the main microchannel or millichannel of the microfluidic or millifluidic device, (b) providing a gas and making bubbles of said gas in the said liquid so that the gas bubbles circulate with the liquid through the main microchannel or millichannel of the microfluidic or millifluidic device, (c) applying a high voltage between the high-voltage electrode(s) and the ground electrode(s) so as to generate a plasma in the bubbles circulating through the main microchannel or millichannel of the microfluidic or millifluidic device.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gas is selected from air, argon, helium, oxygen, nitrogen, water vapour and a mixture thereof.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid is selected from solvents, reagents and a mixture thereof.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each of the bubbles is comprised between 1 μm and 10 mm.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high voltage is comprised between 1 kV and 30 kV.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high voltage is a variable high voltage or the high voltage is a pulsed voltage.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the width and the depth of the main microchannel or millichannel are comprised between 1 μm and 10 mm.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is a UV-cured polymer, a poly(tetramethylene succinate), a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) glass or a combination thereof.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a third inlet adapted to be connected to the second reservoir containing liquid or to a third reservoir containing liquid.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the support also comprises:
a first injection channel connecting the first inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel, a second injection channel connecting the second inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel), and a third injection channel connecting the third inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel, wherein first, second and third injection channels meet the main microchannel or millichannel at a junction, and wherein, at said junction, each of the second and third injection channels extends perpendicularly relative to the first injection channel, the second injection channel and the third injection channel being a continuation of each other.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic or millifluidic device-further comprises at least one reservoir adapted to contain a liquid, at least one reservoir adapted to contain a gas, and at least one receiver container adapted to contain a gas and/or a liquid.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ground electrode(s) and the high-voltage electrode(s) are made of indium (In), tin (Sn), copper (Cu), gold (Au) or oxides and/or alloys thereof.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the microfluidic or millifluidic device comprises one ground electrode and one high-voltage electrode.

14 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the form of the ground electrode(s) and/or the high-voltage electrode(s) is a plane, a zig-zag or a plane with fin(s) and/or tip(s) which extend towards the main microchannel or millichannel.

15 . A microfluidic or millifluidic device comprising:
a support made at least partially of a dielectric material, the support comprising a first inlet adapted to be connected to a first reservoir containing gas, a second inlet adapted to be connected to a second reservoir containing liquid, an outlet adapted to be connected to a receiver container containing gas and/or liquid, and a main microchannel or millichannel present in the dielectric material allowing the liquid and the gas to flow from the inlets towards the outlet, one or several ground electrode(s) embedded in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel, one or several high-voltage electrode(s) embedded in said dielectric material and extending along the main microchannel or millichannel, wherein the high-voltage electrode(s) and the ground electrode(s) are located on opposite sides of the main microchannel or millichannel so as to be able to generate an electric field inside the main microchannel or millichannel, and a high-voltage power source connected to the ground electrode(s) and the high-voltage electrode(s).

16 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 15 , wherein the width and the depth of the main microchannel or millichannel are comprised between 1 μm and 10 mm.

17 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 15 , wherein the dielectric material is a UV-cured polymer, a poly(tetramethylene succinate), a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), glass or a combination thereof.

18 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 15 , wherein the support comprises a third inlet adapted to be connected to the second reservoir containing liquid or to a third reservoir containing liquid.

19 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 18 , wherein the support also comprises:
a first injection channel connecting the first inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel, a second injection channel connecting the second inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel, and a third injection channel connecting the third inlet to the main microchannel or millichannel, wherein first, second and third injection channels meet the main microchannel or millichannel at a junction, and wherein, at said junction, each of the second and third injection channels extends perpendicularly relative to the first injection channel, the second injection channel and the third injection channel being a continuation of each other.

20 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 15 , further comprising at least one reservoir adapted to contain a liquid, at least one reservoir adapted to contain a gas, and at least one receiver container adapted to contain a gas and/or a liquid.

21 . The microfluidic or millifluidic device according to claim 15 , wherein the ground electrode(s) and the high-voltage electrode(s) are made of indium (In), tin (Sn), copper (Cu), gold (Au) or oxides and/or alloys thereof.

22 . The mic

Assignees

• Paris Sciences Lettres Quartier Latin
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Tatoulian Michael
• Ognier Stéphanie
• Zhang Mengxue

Classifications

• B01J19/0093 Primary

  Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors (laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027) · CPC title

• B01J2219/00853

  Employing electrode arrangements · CPC title

• B01J2219/00833

  Plastic · CPC title

• B01J2219/00783

  Laminate assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a stack of plates · CPC title

• B01J19/249

  Plate-type reactors · CPC title