Generation of uniform colloidal assemblies in soft microfluidic devices

Abstract

A microfluidic device is used to generate uniform emulsion droplets containing monodisperse latex spheres at specific intervals by shearing off the tip of the incoming aqueous phase at the junction of two microfluidic channels (see Figure). The water-in-oil emulsions are converted to uniform colloidal assemblies of latex spheres by slowly removing water from the aqueous emulsion droplets.