TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: ScreenFlow Liquid-Liquid Microcontactor

ScreenFlow pairs wettable screens with printed-in gaskets to deliver membrane-free, microscale liquid-liquid contact that scales from microliters to industrially useful flow rates using off-the-shelf materials and standard machine-shop fabrication.

ScreenFlow turns one of chemistry's most common operations, the mixing and separating two immiscible liquids, into a predictable, layer-by-layer process that scales from benchtop experiments to production-relevant flow rates without sacrificing the efficiency advantages of microscale contact. By replacing fragile single-channel chips and mass-transfer-limiting membranes with paired wettable screens, the ScreenFlow Liquid-Liquid Microcontactor from Los Alamos National Laboratory achieves direct liquid contact, supports flow in the same or opposite directions and tolerates real operating pressures while remaining buildable with ordinary machining and assembly methods. The newer printed-gasket configuration further reduces parts, shortens build time and enables stable biphasic operation over days at a time, giving developers a robust platform for extraction, purification and sample-handling workflows that previously required bulkier or more delicate equipment.

How it Works

Two liquids enter the device through separate inlets and travel through their own dedicated guide; each guide contains a fine, liquid-conducting woven screen, sized to the microfluidic regime. One screen is built from a hydrophilic material so it preferentially carries an aqueous stream, while the paired screen is built from a hydrophobic, oleophilic material so it preferentially carries the organic stream. Where the two guides overlap along their main length, the liquids meet at a stable, capillary-held interface. Therefore, dissolved species, fine particles and heat can transfer across that interface while the bulk liquids stay confined to their respective screens, then diverge cleanly at the outlets with little or no carryover. The screens also serve as a structural backbone, supporting wider and longer flow paths without collapse.

Advantages

Direct liquid-to-liquid contact with no separating membrane, preserving fast mass transfer between the two streams

Supports both same-direction and opposite-direction flow within the same hardware footprint

Scales by stacking additional screen layers, raising throughput from microliters per minute toward milliliters per minute and beyond without changing the basic design

Built from off-the-shelf materials using standard machine-shop methods rather than cleanroom photolithography

Printed-gasket version cuts part count roughly in half, simplifying assembly and eliminating edge leak paths

Demonstrated stable operation across days of continuous biphasic flow, suitable for sustained processing rather than one-shot experiments

Market Applications

Critical Materials (rare-earth and trace-element purification, recycling streams)

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (continuous extraction, purification of active ingredients, reaction workup)

Petroleum and Petrochemical Processing (solvent extraction, product cleanup, refinery analytical streams)

Analytical Instrumentation (sample preparation, liquid chromatography front-ends, trace analysis enrichment)

Food and Beverage Processing (flavor and aroma extraction, decaffeination-style separations)

Water Treatment and Desalination (contaminant removal, brine processing, effluent polishing)

TRL 4

U.S. Patent pending

LA-UR-26-24898

Related IP

US Patent No. 10,967,352

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Los Alamos National Laboratory offers a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities that may provide your company with a competitive edge in the market and unlock the innovative potential that can enhance, refine, and revolutionize your products.

LANL's licensing program focuses on moving inventions developed by our researchers to commercial innovations. Patented and patent pending inventions and copyrighted software are available to existing and start-up companies through exclusive and non-exclusive licensing agreements. For specific discussions, please contact licensing@lanl.gov.

Note: This is not a call for external services for the development of this technology.

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