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Updated: Aug 7, 2026
Generation of Size-controlled Poly (ethylene Glycol) Diacrylate Droplets via Semi-3-Dimensional Flow Focusing Microfluidic Devices
Published on: July 3, 2018
Control of droplet size and spacing in micrometer-sized polymeric dewetting patterns
Olaf Karthaus1, Suguru Mikami, Yuichi Hashimoto
1Department of Photonic Materials, Faculty of Photonics Science, Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, Bibi 65-758, Chitose 066-8655, Hokkaido, Japan. karthaus@photon.chitose.ac.jp
Abstract:
When a polymer solution is cast on a flat substrate and the solvent is allowed to evaporate, dewetting might take place. Instead of a continuous film, the polymer forms micrometer-sized droplets. By controlling the solvent casting process with the help of a roller apparatus, the size and spacing of the polymer droplets can be adjusted. We investigated the effect of polymer concentration and roller speed on the pattern dimensions and found that higher concentrations lead to larger polymer droplets (from 1 to 11 microm), whereas faster roller speeds lead to a wider interdroplet spacing (from 4 to 130 microm).
