A Novel Device for Micro-Droplets Generation Based on the Stepwise Membrane Emulsification Principle.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Microfluidics and Nanotechnology

Background:

• Traditional membrane emulsification methods typically produce microspheres around 20 μm.
• Achieving smaller, uniform microspheres is crucial for various industrial applications.
• Existing methods often involve high-cost materials or complex fabrication processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel device for microsphere generation using membrane emulsification.
• To present a new stepwise membrane structure for enhanced droplet production.
• To demonstrate a cost-effective fabrication method for the proposed membrane.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a novel two-layer or stepwise membrane structure.
• Utilized low-cost SU-8 material and conventional lithography with image-based alignment.
• Experimental validation of the membrane's performance in microsphere generation.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated microspheres with a mean size of 2.3 μm.
• Achieved high size uniformity with a standard deviation of 0.8 μm.
• Demonstrated significant improvement compared to traditional methods producing 20 μm microspheres.

Conclusions:

• The proposed stepwise membrane design principle enables high-performance microsphere production.
• Cost-effective fabrication using SU-8 and conventional lithography is feasible.
• The developed device meets industrial requirements for precise microsphere generation.