Droplet microfluidic flow platforms for automated reaction screening and optimisation

Abstract

The demand for efficient and sustainable chemical process development has driven significant advancements in automated droplet flow platforms, which, when coupled with high-throughput experimentation, offer powerful solutions for generating synthetic libraries and optimising reaction parameters. Droplet flow platforms allow for reactions to take place on a microfluidic scale, enabling rapid and sustainable process optimisations. The size of the droplet is varied, with the technique of generating the droplet differing from multiple pumps to advanced robotics. Approaches to integrate multiple analytical tools, phase sensors and parallel reactors have been developed, broadening the capabilities and increasing the throughput of these platforms. Herein, we review recent advancements made within this field, highlighting the type of chemical reactions investigated and the digital technologies which have enabled closed-loop optimisations.