3D-printed pneumatically-stirred parallel reactors for chemical synthesis under high magnetic fields

Abstract

High magnetic fields have emerged as a powerful means for enabling controllable chemical reactions. However, the efficient integration of parallel reactors under high magnetic fields remains a significant challenge in reaction engineering. In this work, pneumatically-stirred parallel reactors capable of operating under a 10 T magnetic field were developed using 3D printing technology. Through a pneumatic actuation-based design, the device redesigns a single long stirring rod (1500 mm) into two shorter rods (each 120 mm), increasing the theoretical natural frequency and critical rotational speed by approximately 39-fold, thereby enhancing mechanical stability. The parallel reactor array enables synchronized stirring of four reaction cells within a single batch, thereby increasing experimental throughput by approximately 400% compared with a conventional single-reactor system. When operated under a 10 T magnetic field, the system maintains excellent stirring stability, with a relative speed deviation below 3.5%. The device was successfully applied to McMurry coupling, improving the trans/cis ratio of TPE–2NH₂ from 50 : 50 to 71 : 29. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first pneumatically-stirred parallel reactors enabling efficient chemical synthesis under high magnetic fields, offering valuable design insights for magnetically controlled synthesis equipment.