Formulation of monodisperse emulsions using submicron-channel arrays

Microchannel (MC) emulsification is a promising technique for formulating monodisperse emulsions using a microfabricated channel array. This study used submicron-channel (SMC) arrays with an equivalent diameter as small as 0.57 mu m microfabricated on a single-crystal silicon plate to formulate soybean oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with fine droplets. Monodisperse O/W emulsions with average droplet diameters of 1.4-3.5 mu m and minimum coefficients of variation (CV) of approximately 9% were successfully formulated using the SMC arrays. The droplet production rate of an SMC plate reached up to 2.2 x 10(4) droplets/s. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.