Novel asymmetric through-hole array microfabricated on a silicon plate for formulating monodisperse emulsions

Langmuir. 2005 Aug 16;21(17):7629-32. doi: 10.1021/la050915x.

Abstract

We have proposed a novel microchannel (MC) structure for formulating monodisperse emulsions. The emulsification device is a silicon array of microfabricated, asymmetric through-holes with a slit and a circular channel (an asymmetric straight-through MC). The asymmetric through-holes of a uniform size stably yielded monodisperse emulsions with average droplet diameters of 35-41 mum and coefficients of variation of less than 2% by forcing the to-be-dispersed phase into the continuous phase via the through-holes. Their asymmetry enabled the stable formation of monodisperse emulsion droplets by spontaneous transformation, even using a to-be-dispersed phase with a very low viscosity below 1 mPa s. Additionally, the asymmetric straight-through MC with a high-density through-hole layout has the potential for high-throughput formulation of monodisperse emulsions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Emulsions / chemical synthesis*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / methods
  • Particle Size
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Emulsions
  • Silicon