Microfluidic production of monodisperse functional o/w droplets and study of their reversible pH dependent aggregation behavior

作者：Bauer Wolfgang Andreas C; Kotar Jurij; Cicuta Pietro; Woodward Robert T; Weaver Jonathan V M; Huck Wilhelm T S^*

来源：Soft Matter, 2011, 7(9): 4214-4220.

DOI：10.1039/c1sm05087g

We report the use of microfluidics for the production of monodisperse oil-in-water droplets functionalized by a pH responsive branched co-polymer surfactant. The droplet functionality facilitates the reversible aggregation of the micron-sized droplets into macroscopic engineered emulsions in response to solution pH changes. Co-injection of dye-loaded and non-dyed droplets into acidic water yields bi-colored dumbbell-shaped aggregates that disassemble into their constituent droplet building blocks upon an increase in pH. Optical tweezers are used to study and quantify the pH dependent interactions of individual droplets.

• 出版日期2011