Progress of Metal Nano-catalysts in Microfluidic Systems

Metal catalysts are generally categorized as mono- and multimetallic catalysts,depending on the number of active components․ Metal materials exhibit superior catalytic activity and stability owing to their large specific surface area and high stability when reduced to the nanometer level․ Therefore,metal nanomaterials have attracted significant research attention in the field of catalysis․ They possess high mass and heat transfer efficiency and high mixing rate,which can significantly improve the reaction rate,owing to their large surface area to volume ratio and size effect of the microfluidic reactor․ However,controlling the reaction process during the synthesis of metal nanomaterials by conventional methods is difficult․ The precise manipulability characteristics of microfluidic methods for tiny volumes of fluids can be used to obtain materials with controllable structure function and uniform size distribution․ Combined with the characteristics of microfluidic systems and the high catalytic performance of metal nanomaterials,this review summarizes the research progress in the preparation of mono- and multimetallic nanomaterials through microfluidic systems,as well as explores their applications as catalysts in the fields of fuel cells and organic synthesis․ By modulating the microstructure of metal nanomaterials with microfluidic systems,the effects of microreactor channel structure and reaction conditions on the microstructure of the materials are discussed․ This review provides an outlook on the integration and industrialization of metal nanocatalysts prepared through microfluidic technology․ © 2023 Cailiao Daobaoshe/ Materials Review. All rights reserved.