Emulsions find various applications in lab-on-a-chip (LoC) platforms, including diagnostics, drug delivery and pharmaceutics. These microscale devices benefit from emulsions' ability to efficiently encapsulate, manipulate, and transport various materials within tiny droplets, enabling controlled mixing of reagents, facilitating rapid chemical reactions and precise measurements. In the field of diagnostics, emulsion-based assays provide a means to conduct multiple tests simultaneously, enhancing throughput and sensitivity. Additionally, emulsions are used for sample preparation, allowing for the extraction and isolation of target compounds. In drug delivery and pharmaceutical research, emulsion-based systems enable precise drug formulation and controlled release, optimizing therapeutic outcomes. There are several methods for emulsion manipulation within microfluidic devices, such as flow control and geometrical configurations of the channels for droplet generation and transportation, and surface chemistry modification for the selective breakup of emulsions, to name a few.
Emulsion manipulation within microfluidic channels presents a set of intricate challenges. Achieving precise control over emulsion formation, breakup, and coalescence demands sophisticated microscale engineering and a deep understanding of the interplay between fluidic properties. Maintaining droplet uniformity and stability throughout the manipulation process is of paramount importance as deviations can significantly impact experimental outcomes. Controlling and optimizing the dynamics of emulsion manipulation require a delicate balance of fluidic properties, microchannel geometry, and external influences. Recent advances in the formation and manipulation of emulsions include hydrodynamics-based methods, surface modification methods, and digital microfluidics methods. Hydrodynamics based methods includes designing inlet geometrical configurations for forming single and double emulsions. Fine-tuning of the channel’s surface chemistry, particularly the wettability of the channels, manipulate the stability of the emulsion such that hydrophilic surfaces encourage the formation of stable emulsions, while hydrophobic surfaces facilitate the selective breakup of emulsions, aiding in the separation of phases and the extraction of specific components. Digital microfluidics require external fields for manipulation and allow for precise manipulation and control of droplets at the microscale, offering automation and reproducibility. These methods include electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), dielectrophoresis (DEP), thermal gradients, surface acoustic wave (SAW), and chemical concentration gradients.
This Research Topic aims to address advances on emulsion formation, manipulation, coalescence and break up in microfluidic platforms and their applications in Lab-on-a-Chip technologies. It is important to emphasize that we target the broad implementation of Lab-on-a-Chip that can include various applications spanning from drug delivery to understanding dynamics of emulsions in EOR techniques.
Original research both experimental and numerical, reviews, mini-reviews, and technical notes are welcomed on themes including but not limited to:
• Advanced approaches for emulsion formation/stabilization/destabilization in microfluidic devices
• Emulsion dynamics in surface modified microfluidic channels
• Microfluidic emulsion-based synthesis of functional microparticles
• Pickering emulsion formation and characterization in microfluidic platforms
Keywords:
emulsion formation, emulsion dynamics, emulsion characterization, microfluidics platforms, emulsion manipulation, emulsion formation/stabilization/destabilization in microfluidic devices
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Emulsions find various applications in lab-on-a-chip (LoC) platforms, including diagnostics, drug delivery and pharmaceutics. These microscale devices benefit from emulsions' ability to efficiently encapsulate, manipulate, and transport various materials within tiny droplets, enabling controlled mixing of reagents, facilitating rapid chemical reactions and precise measurements. In the field of diagnostics, emulsion-based assays provide a means to conduct multiple tests simultaneously, enhancing throughput and sensitivity. Additionally, emulsions are used for sample preparation, allowing for the extraction and isolation of target compounds. In drug delivery and pharmaceutical research, emulsion-based systems enable precise drug formulation and controlled release, optimizing therapeutic outcomes. There are several methods for emulsion manipulation within microfluidic devices, such as flow control and geometrical configurations of the channels for droplet generation and transportation, and surface chemistry modification for the selective breakup of emulsions, to name a few.
Emulsion manipulation within microfluidic channels presents a set of intricate challenges. Achieving precise control over emulsion formation, breakup, and coalescence demands sophisticated microscale engineering and a deep understanding of the interplay between fluidic properties. Maintaining droplet uniformity and stability throughout the manipulation process is of paramount importance as deviations can significantly impact experimental outcomes. Controlling and optimizing the dynamics of emulsion manipulation require a delicate balance of fluidic properties, microchannel geometry, and external influences. Recent advances in the formation and manipulation of emulsions include hydrodynamics-based methods, surface modification methods, and digital microfluidics methods. Hydrodynamics based methods includes designing inlet geometrical configurations for forming single and double emulsions. Fine-tuning of the channel’s surface chemistry, particularly the wettability of the channels, manipulate the stability of the emulsion such that hydrophilic surfaces encourage the formation of stable emulsions, while hydrophobic surfaces facilitate the selective breakup of emulsions, aiding in the separation of phases and the extraction of specific components. Digital microfluidics require external fields for manipulation and allow for precise manipulation and control of droplets at the microscale, offering automation and reproducibility. These methods include electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), dielectrophoresis (DEP), thermal gradients, surface acoustic wave (SAW), and chemical concentration gradients.
This Research Topic aims to address advances on emulsion formation, manipulation, coalescence and break up in microfluidic platforms and their applications in Lab-on-a-Chip technologies. It is important to emphasize that we target the broad implementation of Lab-on-a-Chip that can include various applications spanning from drug delivery to understanding dynamics of emulsions in EOR techniques.
Original research both experimental and numerical, reviews, mini-reviews, and technical notes are welcomed on themes including but not limited to:
• Advanced approaches for emulsion formation/stabilization/destabilization in microfluidic devices
• Emulsion dynamics in surface modified microfluidic channels
• Microfluidic emulsion-based synthesis of functional microparticles
• Pickering emulsion formation and characterization in microfluidic platforms
Keywords:
emulsion formation, emulsion dynamics, emulsion characterization, microfluidics platforms, emulsion manipulation, emulsion formation/stabilization/destabilization in microfluidic devices
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.