Novel glass capillary microfluidic devices for the flexible and simple production of multi-cored double emulsions

Hypothesis: Double emulsions with many monodispersed internal droplets are required for the fabrication of multicompartment microcapsules and tissue-like synthetic materials. These double emulsions can also help to optically resolve different coalescence mechanisms contributing to double emulsion destabilization. Up to date microfluidic double emulsions are limited to either core-shell droplets or droplets with eight or less inner droplets. By applying a two-step jet break-up within one setup, double emulsion droplets filled with up to several hundred monodispersed inner droplets can be achieved. Experiments: Modular interconnected CNC-milled Lego (R)-inspired blocks were used to create two separated droplet break-up points within coaxial glass capillaries. Inner droplets were formed by countercurrent flow focusing within a small inner capillary, while outer droplets were formed by co-flow in an outer capillary. The size of inner and outer droplets was independently controlled since the two droplet breakup processes were decoupled. Findings: With the developed setup W/O/W and O/W/O double emulsions were produced with different surfactants, oils, and viscosity modifiers to encapsulate 25-400 inner droplets in each outer drop with volume percentage of inner phase between 7% and 50%. From these emulsions monodispersed multicompartment microcapsules were obtained. The report offers insights on the relationship between the coalescence of internal droplets and their release. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study developed a new device to produce double emulsion droplets with several hundred monodispersed inner droplets using a two-step jet break-up within coaxial capillaries. Monodispersed multicompartment microcapsules were successfully obtained by adjusting the materials and process parameters.