Parallelizable microfluidic dropmakers with multilayer geometry for the generation of double emulsions

Area of Science:

• Microfluidics
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Microfluidic devices offer precise control over double emulsion droplet size and shell thickness.
• Current microfluidic production rates are insufficient for industrial-scale applications requiring high throughput.
• Parallelization of double emulsion dropmakers is hindered by the challenge of precise wettability patterning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel multilayer dropmaker geometry that simplifies wettability patterning for microfluidic devices.
• To enable scalable and high-throughput production of uniform double emulsions.

Main Methods:

• A multilayer device geometry was designed to allow independent functionalization of channels in each layer.
• Precise wettability patterning was achieved by assembling pre-functionalized layers, creating sharp hydrophobic-hydrophilic interfaces.
• The developed geometry facilitates uniform wettability patterning in parallelized dropmakers.

Main Results:

• The multilayer design simplifies the fabrication of microfluidic devices with controlled wettability.
• Uniform wettability patterning was successfully achieved across parallelized dropmakers.
• This approach provides a scalable method for producing monodisperse double emulsions.

Conclusions:

• The novel multilayer dropmaker geometry overcomes key challenges in parallelizing double emulsion production.
• This scalable approach paves the way for industrial applications of monodisperse double emulsions.
• The simplified wettability patterning method enhances the manufacturability of complex microfluidic devices.