Multiautoclave with Set of Vessels for Combinatorial Synthesis of Zeolites and Other Materials

Abstract

A vessel arrangement having a base and multiple vessels suited for simultaneously conducting a plurality of isolated experimental reactions or treatments at atmospheric process conditions or elevated temperatures and pressure condition has been developed. A component of a first material is introduced into one independent vessel through an opening in its top of the first vessel and another component of a second material is introduced into a different independent vessel through its top. Both vessels are removably located about a base at different first locations. Transformation of the components in the vessels then occurs to produce different materials therein. After completion of the experiments a displacement medium simultaneously urges the vessels from their respective locations about the base for discard or reuse after any necessary cleaning. Typically at least one property of the materials from the vessels is determined either within the vessel or after recovery of the materials.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO THE APPLICATION [0001] This application is a Division of copending application Ser. No. 10 / 834,648 filed Apr. 29, 2004, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a vessel arrangement having a base and multiple vessels suited for simultaneously conducting a plurality of isolated experimental reactions or treatments at atmospheric process conditions or elevated temperatures and pressure condition. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In recent years, new, automated methods for the systematic preparation of new compounds, so-called “combinatorial techniques” have been developed. A wide variety of methodologies, tools and techniques wear the label of combinatorial methods. Generally these methods seek to accelerate the discovery of new materials and the application of new and known materials to new uses by increasing the number and rapidity of material tests though reductions...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a method and apparatus for making arrays of materials using small vessels that can be easily maintained and discarded after experimentation. The invention solves problems of securing the vessels during experimentation and also allows for the transformation of the materials within the vessels. The invention can be practiced without a base and provides a unique trapping surface for contact with the vessels. The invention also includes a multiautoclave with multiple pressure vessels for simultaneous experimentation. The technical effects of the invention include improved efficiency and accuracy in research and development, reduced costs, and improved safety."

Problems solved by technology

The small size of these regions can pose contamination problems.

Contamination whether detected or undetected can interfere with the usefulness of such arrays by corrupting the data obtained from the material samples thereby leading to false conclusions that waste time and resources.

Since the regions are by definition small, intensive and thorough cleaning of the small areas can present a challenge.

Moreover the composition of the substrate or base may exacerbate the problems.

However, many of the synthesis operations, treatments steps and analysis of a material may require movement of the arrays.

But at the same time the vessel must not become so fixed in the base or substrate that they are not readily removed for disposal.

Moreover, certain treatment steps may create minor distortion of the vessels or the base that binds them together by the completion of the experiment.

Furthermore, such an autoclave will weigh from 1 kilogram and upwards, and all of these elements represent limitations regarding the number of syntheses that may be performed in most laboratories in the course of one year.

Common to all the synthesis procedures mentioned and for all other known synthesis procedures for the preparation of zeolites on a laboratory scale with the purpose of discovering new zeolites or to optimize existing zeolites is that these are performed in a cumbersome and expensive manner by having to separately prepare each reaction mixture, which typically consists of 4-7 reagents, and by adding the reagents one by one.

The problem with this design is that the reactors which are made of glass and which do not have protected sidewalls may be used only at low pressures and not in strongly alkaline solutions.

Until recently there has been no available literature describing methods or equipment for using arrays that might be used for practical work to sufficiently retain vessels in the array to perform combinatorial experimentation while providing facile withdrawal of the vessels for replacement in the substrate or base.

Zeolite synthesis can be particularly problematic inasmuch as such syntheses almost without exception require hydrothermal treatment of a solution or gel with a relatively high content of water and often high contents of organic compounds in a closed chamber under elevated temperatures and high pressure.

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