Centrifugal generation and manipulation of droplet emulsions

This work for the first time describes a centrifugal technique for the production and manipulation of highly monodisperse water droplets (CV of droplet diameter below 2%) immersed in a continuous flow of immiscible oil. Within a given working range, droplet volumes (5-22 nL) and their mutual spacing is governed by the channel geometry and the frequency of rotation. Different regimes of liquid-liquid flows are presented. We also demonstrate capabilities like droplet splitting and sedimentation as well as the production of two colored droplets, thus setting the stage for a novel centrifugal platform for multiphase flows.