Containerless Bioorganic Reactions in a Floating Droplet by Levitation Technique Using an Ultrasonic Wave

Abstract

To ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, alternative process design without plastics for chemical and biological reactions will benefit future generations. Reaction flasks used in chemical and biological laboratories have been made from glass, metals, and plastics so far. If containerless processing can be realized, researchers will have a next-generation reaction process, which will be reactor and plastic-free, and without risks of unforeseen issues induced by contact with reactions flasks, including contamination and alteration of the reactants. Here, polymerization, click chemistry, and enzymatic reactions can proceed effectively in a floating droplet at a node of standing wave generated by ultrasonic levitation. These results demonstrate that floating droplets levitated by acoustic waves can represent a revolutionary containerless reactor for performing various reactions in the fields of chemistry and biology.

Keywords: acoustic levitation; click chemistry; containerless; enzymatic reaction; radical polymerization.