An integrated microreaction system for controllable continuous synthesis of polysilsesquioxane microspheres

Abstract

The complexities in polysilsesquioxanes (PSQ) formation process is considerably challenging for large-scale production. There are both fast and slow reactions with solid generation in this process, and the coupling of the reactions makes it difficult to realize the uniform growth of particles in batch reactors. In this study, a novel continuous microreaction system integrating a microreactor with a Taylor-Couette reactor (TCR) was developed to synthesize PSQs. The preparation process can be decoupled into independent reactions in different reactors: the microreactor was employed to achieve rapid microdispersion or micromixing for fast reactions, TCR was used to form a nearly ideal plug flow to realize uniform growth and suspending of particles. The obtained PSQ particles exhibited high sphericity, dispersibility, and uniform composition. The reaction time was reduced nearly 10-fold compared to the batch process. The integrated continuous microreaction system displayed high process controllability, long-term operation stability, and the potential for reliable scaling-up. • An integrated microreaction system is developed to synthesize polysilsesquioxanes. • The complex formation process of PSQ is decoupled to proceed in exclusive reactors. • The particle size can be tuned from submicrons to microns. • The reaction time was reduced nearly 10-fold compared to the batch method. • The system shows high process controllability and potential for scaling-up.