A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis

Peng, Qian; Wang, Guangzu; Sheng, Chao; Wang, Haonan; Fu, Yao; Huang, Shenghong

doi:10.3390/mi16091058

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis

by

Qian Peng

^1,†,

Guangzu Wang

^2,†,

Chao Sheng

²,

Haonan Wang

¹,

Yao Fu

^2,3,* and

Shenghong Huang

^1,*

¹

CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

²

Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230031, China

³

Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, iChEM (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomass Clean Energy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Micromachines 2025, 16(9), 1058; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091058

Submission received: 10 August 2025 / Revised: 4 September 2025 / Accepted: 12 September 2025 / Published: 18 September 2025

(This article belongs to the Section E: Engineering and Technology)

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Abstract

This study introduces the Double-Diamond Reactor (DDR), a novel planar passive microreactor designed to overcome the following conventional limitations: inefficient mass transfer, high flow resistance, and clogging. The DDR integrates splitting–turning–impinging (STI) hydrodynamic principles via CFD-guided optimization, generating chaotic advection to enhance mixing. Experimental evaluations using Villermaux–Dushman tests showed a segregation index (

X_{s}

) as low as 0.027 at 100 mL·min⁻¹, indicating near-perfect mixing. In BaSO₄ nanoparticle synthesis, the DDR achieved a 46% smaller average particle size (95 nm) and narrower distribution (

σ_{g} = 1.27

) compared to reference designs (AFR-1), while maintaining low pressure drops (<20 kPa at 60 mL·min⁻¹). The DDR’s superior performance stems from its hierarchical flow division and concave-induced vortices, which eliminate stagnant zones. This work demonstrates the DDR’s potential for high-throughput nanomaterial synthesis with precise control over particle characteristics, offering a scalable and energy-efficient solution for advanced chemical processes.

Keywords: microreactor; chaotic mixing; nanoparticle synthesis; computational fluid dynamics; passive micromixer; process intensification

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MDPI and ACS Style

Peng, Q.; Wang, G.; Sheng, C.; Wang, H.; Fu, Y.; Huang, S. A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis. Micromachines 2025, 16, 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091058

AMA Style

Peng Q, Wang G, Sheng C, Wang H, Fu Y, Huang S. A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis. Micromachines. 2025; 16(9):1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091058

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peng, Qian, Guangzu Wang, Chao Sheng, Haonan Wang, Yao Fu, and Shenghong Huang. 2025. "A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis" Micromachines 16, no. 9: 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091058

APA Style

Peng, Q., Wang, G., Sheng, C., Wang, H., Fu, Y., & Huang, S. (2025). A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis. Micromachines, 16(9), 1058. https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091058

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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A Novel Double-Diamond Microreactor Design for Enhanced Mixing and Nanomaterial Synthesis

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