A simple microfluidic device for fabrication of double emulsion droplets and polymer microcapsules

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We demonstrate that by using a syringe needle, plastic tubing, two glass capillaries and epoxy glue a microfluidic device can be fabricated straightforwardly that allows for the production of double emulsions, or in other words the generation of droplets-in-droplets. The device in essence is a serial combination of droplet generation by co-flow and a T-junction. To reduce potential issues with channel wetting, we established that an “obstructed” T-junction outperformed a conventional T-junction. We illustrate the versatility of our device through production of a range of polymer microcapsules, including ones that contain a waterborne dispersion of colour changing pigment, and microcapsules with compartmentalized ferrofluidic segments, that is capsules that contain more than one droplet of ferrofluid.

This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit: