A chemical processing microsystem useful for identifying and optimizing, materials
(e.g., catalysts) that enhance chemical processes or for characterizing and/or
optimizing chemical processes is disclosed. The chemical processing microsystem
comprises a plurality of microreactors 600 and, in a preferred embodiment, a plurality
of microseparators 900 integral with the chemical processing microsystem 10. The
microreactors 600 are preferably diffusion-mixed microreactors formed in a plurality
of laminae that include a modular, interchangeable candidate-material array 100.
The material array 100 comprises a plurality of different candidate materials (e.g.,
catalysts), preferably arranged at separate, individually addressable portions
of a substrate (e.g., wafer). The microseparators 900 are similarly formed in a
plurality of laminae that include a modular, interchangeable adsorbent array 700.
