Enzymatic Microreactors Enzymatic Microreactors Enzymatic microreactors could be used in numerous applications such as sensing devices, energy production, chemical synthesis and degradation, and environmental cleanup. An inherent advantage of enzymes, when compared to chemical reactors, is that the desired reactions occur at ambient temperatures and pressures. We seek to use these advantages in enzymatic reactors.
Enzymes are the nano-machines of cells.
Enzymes have been steadily improved for eons by Darwinian evolution and more recently by the use of recombinant DNA technologies. Enzymes are known to catalyze more than 5000 diverse chemical reactions. Enzymatic reactions occur at ambient temperatures and pressures, while chemical catalysts frequently require robust reaction vessels containing dangerous solvents maintained at extremely high temperatures and pressures. Accordingly, the simplified reaction conditions of enzymatic reactors require less complex engineering than catalytic reactors. Therefore our focus is the development of the capability to build enzymatic micro-reactors.