Abstract
We present a comprehensive study of the step-emulsification process for high-throughput production of colloidal monodisperse droplets. The 'microfluidic step emulsifier' combines a shallow microchannel operating with two co-flowing immiscible fluids and an abrupt (step-like) opening to a deep and wide reservoir. Based on Hele-Shaw hydrodynamics, we determine the quasi-static shape of the fluid interface prior to transition to oscillatory step-emulsification at low capillary numbers. The theoretically derived transition threshold yields an excellent agreement with experimental data. A closed-form expression for the size of the droplets generated in the step-emulsification regime and derived using geometric arguments also shows a very good agreement with the experiment.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1023-1031 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Lab on a Chip |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 21 Feb 2015 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Bioengineering
- Biochemistry
- General Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering