Recent progress in the synthesis of all-aqueous two-phase droplets using microfluidic approaches

Area of Science:

• Biomolecular Engineering
• Microfluidics
• Separation Science

Background:

• Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) offer biocompatible liquid-liquid separation for biomolecule processing.
• Water-in-water (w-in-w) emulsions derived from ATPS show promise in biomedical applications.
• Generating stable w-in-w emulsion droplets is challenging due to ultralow interfacial tension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolution of microfluidic devices for generating ATPS droplets.
• To discuss strategies for stabilizing w-in-w emulsion droplets.
• To highlight microfluidic fabrication of microparticles and microcapsules for applications like biomolecule encapsulation.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical ATPS development and fundamental principles.
• Analysis of microfluidic integration with ATPS for w-in-w emulsion generation.
• Examination of various stabilization strategies and fabrication techniques.

Main Results:

• Microfluidic platforms offer advantages over bulk emulsification and electrospray for generating monodisperse, spherical w-in-w droplets.
• Diverse microfluidic strategies have been developed for creating single and multiple w-in-w emulsions.
• Microfluidic fabrication enables the production of microparticles and microcapsules for advanced applications.

Conclusions:

• Microfluidics provides a versatile and efficient approach for producing ATPS droplets and derived microstructures.
• This review consolidates knowledge on microfluidic-based ATPS droplet generation and fabrication.
• The findings offer valuable insights for researchers in microfluidics and biomolecule processing.