Author: Zoe Klochowicz
Klochowicz, Zoe, 2025 Vortex Fluidic Mediated Process Intensification for Green Chemistry Applications , Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering
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The environmental challenges posed by traditional chemical processes underscore the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Among recent technological advancements, process intensification has emerged as a powerful approach to enhance reaction efficiency and provide mechanical energy to solutions to drive reactions. The Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD) represents a versatile platform for process intensification, utilizing thin-film microfluidics to create high-shear environments that enhance mass transport, mixing, and reaction kinetics while reducing waste generation. This thesis explores four novel applications of the VFD: (i) The synthesis of gallium and indium composite 2D sheets through VFD-mediated exfoliation, demonstrating tunable material properties under mild conditions. (ii) The discovery that Earth's magnetic field influences fluid flows, enabling unprecedented control over chirality in single-walled carbon nanotubes through simple clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. (iii) The establishment of a photo-contact electrification mechanism that generates reactive oxygen species, facilitating dye degradation through distinct pathways, while suggesting potential for dinitrogen activation. (iv) The enhancement of enzymatic processes, achieving a 130% increase in butanol production through a three-enzyme cascade reaction – operating in reverse of the natural enzymatic direction. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the VFD's capacity to advance clean technology processes towards sustainable chemical and material synthesis.
Keywords: Microfluidics, Vortex Fluidic Device, Earth's magnetic field, Contact Electrificiation, Nanomaterials, Green Chemistry, Water, Degredation
Subject: Biotechnology thesis
Thesis type: Doctor of Philosophy
Completed: 2025
School: College of Science and Engineering
Supervisor: Professor Colin L. Raston AO FAA