School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Lab Chip. 2014 Feb 21;14(4):705-9. doi: 10.1039/c3lc51213d.
We present a microfluidic device that enables high throughput production of relatively monodisperse emulsion drops while controlling the average size. The device consists of a two-dimensional array of regularly-spaced posts. Large drops of a highly polydisperse crude emulsion are input into the device and are successively split by the posts, ultimately yielding a finer emulsion consisting of smaller, and much more monodisperse drops. The size distribution of the resultant emulsion depends only weakly on the viscosities of the input fluids and allows fluids of very high viscosities to be used. The average size and polydispersity of the drops depend strongly on the device geometry enabling both control and optimization. We use this device to produce drops of a highly viscous monomer solution and subsequently solidify them into polymeric microparticles. The production rate of these devices is similar to that achieved by membrane emulsification techniques, yet the control over the drop size is superior; thus these post-array microfluidic devices are potentially useful for industrial applications.
我们提出了一种微流控装置，可在控制平均尺寸的同时，实现相对单分散乳液滴的高通量生产。该装置由二维规则间隔的柱列组成。将高度多分散的粗乳液大滴输入到装置中，然后被柱列依次分裂，最终生成更小且单分散性更好的乳液。所得乳液的尺寸分布仅与输入流体的粘度弱相关，并允许使用粘度非常高的流体。液滴的平均尺寸和多分散性强烈依赖于器件的几何形状，从而可以实现控制和优化。我们使用该装置制备高粘度单体溶液的液滴，然后将其固化成聚合物微球。这些装置的生产速率与膜乳化技术相当，但对液滴尺寸的控制更好；因此，这些柱列微流控装置在工业应用中具有潜在的用途。
