Microfluidic modules for the preconcentration of [18F]-fluoride for PET radiotracer synthesis, and its subsequent removal during product purification

Microfluidic devices have shown great promise for performing rapid and high yield synthesis of positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers [1]. However, most devices focus only on the chemical synthesis, neglecting other important procedural steps that could be similarly miniaturised to reduce processing times further. We demonstrate the development of microfluidic modules for (i) preconcentration of 19F- and 18Ffluoride using regenerable anion exchange resin and magnetic particles, and (ii) the removal of fluoride during final product purification using an alumina resin.