Materials Synthesis and Catalysis in Microfluidic Devices: Prebiotic Chemistry in Mineral Membranes

The processes that led to the origins of life possibly occurred in the inorganic precipitate membranes of alkaline hydrothermal vents. These geochemical systems provide spatial confinement, cross-membrane gradients, and catalytic surfaces. The experimental exploration of catalysis in these materials is challenging due to the vastness of the underlying parameter space and the need to maintain nonequilibrium conditions for long times. Microfluidic approaches offer an efficient solution to some of these problems by allowing the formation of mineral membranes at the interface of flowing reactant solutions and the control of steep gradients. In this minireview, we summarize recent progress in the production of mineral membranes using laminar microfluidic devices and discuss their catalytic properties in the context of prebiotic chemistry. Examples of catalytic reactions include the formation of pyrophosphate, peptides, and thioesters in precipitates containing iron, nickel, and calcium.