High-throughput generation of uniform droplets from parallel microchannel droplet generators and the preparation of polystyrene microsphere material (Open Access)--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Zhang, S., Wang, K., & Luo, G. (2023). High-throughput generation of uniform droplets from parallel microchannel droplet generators and the preparation of polystyrene microsphere material. Particuology, 77, 136-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2022.10.010

High-throughput generation of uniform droplets from parallel microchannel droplet generators and the preparation of polystyrene microsphere material (Open Access)

Shenglong Zhang ^{a b}, Kai Wang ^a *, Guangsheng Luo ^a

a State Key Lab of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
b Xi'an Modern Chemistry Research Institute, Xi'an, 710065, China

10.1016/j.partic.2022.10.010

Volume 77, June 2023, Pages 136-145

Received 20 September 2022, Revised 21 October 2022, Accepted 23 October 2022, Available online 4 November 2022, Version of Record 2 December 2022.

E-mail: kaiwang@tsinghua.edu.cn

Highlights

• A flow rate deviation robust droplet generator was parallel scaled-up via 3D-print fabrication.

• Jetting flow was employed to increase the droplet generation efficiency in the microchannel.

• 2.8 × 10⁴ Hz high generation frequency of droplets was achieved using only 4 droplet generators.

• 32–52 μm droplets with 4.5%–8.4% diameter variation coefficients were high-throughput created.

• 16.9–23.5 μm particles with 5.0%–8.6% diameter variation coefficients were prepared on hundred mg/hour.

Abstract

To prepare uniform polystyrene particles with ten microns of diameter, a parallel scaling-up strategy for the capillary-assembled stepwise microchannel was developed, which created uniform droplets with high-throughput and formed a large amount of emulsion templates for the polymerization of styrene and cross-linker. The microchannel droplet generator was robust for the flow rate deviation of the continuous phase in the jetting flow, and droplet generation frequency up to 2.8 × 10⁴ Hz was achieved with only four parallel droplet generators, which were much more efficient than the parallelly scaled microfluidic devices working in dripping flow. 32–52 μm average diameter droplets with 4.5%–8.4% diameter variation coefficients were successfully prepared from the microchannel device fabricated by low-cost 3D-print method, and the droplets were subsequently turned to solid particles via a two-step polymerization in the platform. The polystyrene particles were further reduced to 16.9–23.5 μm with 5.0%–8.6% diameter variation coefficients due to the accompanying emulsion polymerization, and the working capacity of the platform reached hundred milligrams of particles per hour.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Droplet generation; Parallel scale-up; Jetting flow; Uniform microspheres; Microfluidics

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