Micro-channel emulsification

T. Kawakatsu, Y. Kikuchi, and M. Nakajima Regular-Sized Cell Creation in Micro-Channel Emulsification by Visual Microprocessing Method. JAOCS 74, 317 (1997). 

Micro-channel emulsification is even farther away from industrial application however, there are a few small companies offering nozzle plates that show relatively large fluxes, coming into the realm of practical feasibility. For example, fluxes of... 

A second, new class of processes is that of membrane and micro-channel emulsification. A to-be-dispersed phase is here pushed through pores of a membrane or through micro-engineered micron-scale channels. At the pore or channel mouth, droplets are formed. These droplets can spontaneously detach from the pore or channel mouth (interfacial tension driven snap-off), due to the distortion of the droplet shape when it is still attached to the mouth. At higher fluxes or with channel mouths not giving a strong shape distortion, droplets are sheared off by a cross-flowing continuous phase. 

Kobayashi I, Lou XF, Mukataka S, Nakajima M. 2005c. Preparation of monodisperse water-in-oil-m-water emulsions using microfluidization and straight-through micro-channel emulsification. J Am Oil Chem Soc 82 65-71. 

Sugiura S, Nakajima M, Yamamoto K, Iwamoto S, Oda T, Satake M, Seki M. 2004a. Preparation characteristics of water-in-oil-in-water multiple emulsions using micro-channel emulsification. J Colloid Interface Sci 270 221-228. 

An emerging class of emulsification methods is not based on imposing an overall flow field, but rather by making individual droplets on the mouths of membrane pores or micro-engineered channels. Characteristic is that the flow fields applied are much milder energy consumption is much lower, while the droplet sizes are strongly dependent on the shape and dimensions of the pores or micro-channels. A number of processes belong to this class ... 

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