A continuous Couette-Taylor (CT) crystallizer exploiting a Taylor vortex was developed to promote the phase transformation of guanosine 5-monophosphate (GMP). In drowning-out crystallization, amorphous GMP is initially generated and then transformed into hydrate GMP crystals via the consecutive dissolution of the amorphous GMP and nucleation and growth of hydrate GMP crystals. Because of the intensive mixing of the Taylor vortex, the dissolution of the amorphous GMP and growth of the hydrate GMP crystals were both markedly promoted, allowing the phase transformation to be completed within a mean residence time of 5 min, even with a high GMP feed concentration of 150 g/L and moderate rotation speed of 300 rpm This result was at least 5 times faster than the phase transformation in a mixed suspension, mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer under the same crystallization conditions. The phase transformation efficiency of the Taylor vortex over the turbulent eddy in the MSMPR crystallizer was explained in terms of the effectiveness of the turbulence for the mass transfer at the solid-liquid interface.

The reservoir microcapsules are fabricated through one-step microfluidic phase separation for long-term cardiovascular therapeutics.

A continuous Couette−Taylor (CT) crystallizer with a multiple feed mode was developed to promote the phase transformation of guanosine 5-monophosphate (GMP). In drowning-out crystallization, amorphous GMP is initially precipitated and then transformed into hydrate GMP crystals via the spontaneous nucleation of hydrate crystals and consecutive dissolution of the amorphous GMP and growth of hydrate GMP crystals. Importantly, the multiple feeding strategy had a significant accelerating effect on the phase transformation process, resulting in the complete conversion of the amorphous GMP into hydrate crystals within an overall mean residence time of 2.5 min, even with a high GMP feed concentration of 152.8 g/L and low rotation speed of 300 rpm. Thus, the phase transformation in the continuous CT crystallizer with the multiple feed mode (feeding mode IV) was at least 2 times faster than the phase transformation with the conventional feeding mode (feeding mode I), and 10 times faster when compared to the phase transformation in a continuous MSMPR crystallizer. The effectiveness of the multiple feeding mode for the phase transformation can be explained in terms of independently controlling the supersaturation, mean residence time, seeding effect, and mass transfer rates in each region of CT crystallizer depending on the multiple feeding strategy and feeding distribution ratio.