• 26.10.2026 14:15

A reactor developed by Tula State University scientists will reduce the cost of creating drugs and new materials.

Scientists from Tula State University have created a photochemical reactor, making advanced methods accessible even to small laboratories, which will speed up and reduce the cost of creating modern pharmaceuticals, functional materials, and fine organic synthesis products.
Modern organic chemistry is increasingly turning to photochemistry — synthesis methods where light is the driving force behind reactions. This allows for the production of complex compounds under milder conditions, eliminating the need for harsh reagents and extreme temperatures. However, in practice, researchers face a hurdle: the powerful LEDs used for irradiation generate significant heat. Overheating not only makes experiments unreproducible but also triggers unwanted side effects, reducing the yield of the desired product.
Commercial reactors with precise temperature control are expensive, and their rigid design prevents flexible adaptation to specific applications, while homemade analogs often fail to provide effective heat dissipation. In response to this challenge, researchers from the BioChemTech Research Center at Tula State University proposed a relatively simple and cost-effective solution. They developed a reactor vessel that can be printed on a household 3D printer using eco-friendly PLA plastic.
"The main innovation lies in the integrated water cooling system: special channels are provided inside the structure through which ordinary tap water circulates," explained Bogdan Yanovich Karlinsky, head of the Laboratory of Chemical Conversion of Renewable Biomass and Organic Synthesis at Tula State University. "This allows us to maintain a stable ambient temperature, minimizing additional heating from the LEDs." Another advantage of the development is its adaptability. Since the reactor is 3D printed, its geometry can be easily modified: the number of working cells can be increased, the size of the test tube wells can be changed, or other plastics can be used, such as flexible polyurethane or more heat-resistant PETG.
The device's performance has already been proven in practice. Tests on four different photochemical reactions using LEDs ranging from near-ultraviolet to green light yielded excellent results: the yield of target products reached 91 percent.
Study co-author Dmitry Gurov, a graduate student at Tula State University, noted that the simple and efficient setup allows for clear separation of the effects of light and temperature on chemical processes, which is critical for the integrity of scientific research. As a result, the Tula State University scientists' development, published in the prestigious international journal Molecules, effectively simplifies photochemistry.
This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation as part of the National Project "Materials and Chemistry" and the Priority 2030 program.
Link to the scientific article: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/20/3762