Turning Up the Heat: Wireless Induction Heating for Multi-Temperature Microscale Reactions

This manuscript introduces a novel induction heating platform designed to enable multiplexed temperature screen for microscale high-throughput reactions through remote, wireless heating in multi-well plates. This approach employs metal balls within the wells to efficiently convert surrounding electromagnetic energy into localized heat, overcoming limitations associated with conventional heating methods. By leveraging induction energy, the platform facilitates rapid, uniform heating at the reaction site, thereby allowing for optimal conditions across a broad range of chemical reactions. This system addresses common challenges of traditional hotplate heating of plastic well plates, such as uneven temperature distribution and material degradation, and offers a scalable solution suited to contemporary chemistries that demand accurate temperature control. Experimental validation using three solvents demonstrated the platform's efficiency and reliability, achieving rapid and stable temperatures control across a range of induction power settings. Key findings revealed effective energy conversion, a proportional relationship between both the number of metal balls and the induction power with achieved temperature, and consistent heating throughout reactions. Notably, this innovation enables temperature optimization in high-throughput experimentation (HTE) workflows within a single screening run, eliminating the need for multiple temperature-specific plates and thus enhancing process throughput while reducing experimental delays. Furthermore, the tri-functional metal balls (serving as heating agents, accurate reagent delivery vehicles, and effective agitators) demonstrate the versatility of ChemBead-based HTE. The adoption of this technology has significant potential to advance methodologies in chemical synthesis, drug discovery and development, and other disciplines that depend on multi-dimensional, microscale reactions.