Microfluidic consecutive flow-focusing droplet generators

Abstract

This article describes emulsification in a microfluidic double droplet generator (DDR) comprising two consecutive flow-focusing devices with locally modified surface chemistry. We generated W/O/W, O/O/W and O/W/O double emulsions with precisely controlled sizes and morphology of droplets. Secondly, by combining two mechanisms of droplet formation (the flow-focusing mechanism and the break up of liquid threads at T-junction) we produced multiple populations of droplets with varying size and/or composition. These droplets were used as the structural units for the formation of complex dynamic lattices.