Microfluidic method for creating monodisperse viscous single emulsions via core-shell templating

作者：Josephides Dimitris N; Sajjadi Shahriar^*

来源：Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 2015, 18(3): 383-390.

DOI：10.1007/s10404-014-1439-2

• Monodisperse
• Viscous droplets
• Core-shell
• Droplet templating
• Dripping
• Jetting

Creating droplets with viscous media in microfluidic devices is extremely problematic due to the early onset of jetting. This report presents a method of creating highly monodisperse single emulsions of high viscosity (a parts per thousand 100 cP for both dispersed and continuous phases) using glass-based microfluidics. This method utilises a three-phase flow technique, where internal water droplets are introduced into a would-be-jetting oil stream forcing the system into a quasi-dripping regime to produce highly monodisperse core-shell drops that later rupture to form single drops. Emulsions with droplet diameters between 75 and 120 mu m with a C (v) < 2 % were created at flow rates of up to 500 mu l/h using this three-phase technique where similar emulsions using the standard two-phase technique could not be obtained. The rate of addition of internal droplets to induce a quasi-dripping mode was found to be similar to the dominant perturbation frequencies required to rupture a jet according to Plateau-Rayleigh instability theory.

• 出版日期2015-3