A microfluidic device based on droplet storage for screening solubility diagrams

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Solubility diagrams are crucial for understanding material behavior and optimizing processes.
• Traditional methods for determining solubility curves can be time-consuming and require large sample volumes.
• Rapid and efficient screening methods are needed for accurate phase diagram determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel microfluidic device for the rapid screening of solubility diagrams.
• To demonstrate the device's capability in quantitatively measuring concentration vs. temperature phase diagrams.
• To assess the efficiency of the device in terms of speed and sample volume requirements.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic device with parallel channels was designed to store hundreds of nanolitre droplets.
• A gradual variation in solute concentration was established across the channels.
• A temperature gradient was applied along the channels to induce phase changes.
• Solubility curve points were directly and quantitatively measured.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic device enabled rapid screening of solubility diagrams.
• Ten points of the adipic acid solubility curve were measured in under 1 hour.
• The method required only 250 microliters of solution.
• Quantitative phase diagram data (concentration vs. temperature) was obtained.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic device offers a significant advancement for solubility diagram determination.
• This technology allows for high-throughput, low-volume analysis of phase behavior.
• The method is efficient and accurate for measuring solubility curves, applicable to various solutions.