During emulsification process design, the bulk and interfacial rheology of the target formulation must be carefully considered. Formulations with high viscosity ratios and/or finite interfacial elasticity are particularly challenging to emulsify, as conventional drop‐breakup methods consume significant energy and provide limited control over polydispersity. Here, we develop a two‐stage process that produces monodisperse emulsions from high viscosity ratio constituents. In the first stage, a custom static mixer generates co‐flowing layers of alternate phases, and progressively thins layers until they rupture, thus forming a high‐internal phase emulsion. The interfacial properties and flow conditions that promote stable fractal multiplication are discussed. In the second stage, extensional flow elements refine the polydispersity. We demonstrate the utility of this novel process by producing remarkably monodisperse polyisobutylene‐in‐water emulsions with an energy efficiency that is orders of magnitude higher than classical emulsification methods. The moderate throughputs achieved show promise for upscaling and intensification in industrial applications.

中文翻译：

---

拉伸，折叠和断裂：通过分形混合器增强高粘度比体系的乳化作用

在乳化工艺设计过程中，必须仔细考虑目标制剂的整体和界面流变性。具有高粘度比和/或有限的界面弹性的配方尤其难以乳化，因为常规的液滴破碎方法会消耗大量能量，并且对多分散性的控制有限。在这里，我们开发了一个由高粘度比组分生产单分散乳液的两步法。在第一阶段，定制的静态混合器会生成交替相的同流层，并逐渐变薄层直至破裂，从而形成高内相乳液。讨论了促进稳定的分形相乘的界面性质和流动条件。在第二阶段，拉伸流动元件改善了多分散性。我们通过生产显着的单分散聚异丁烯水乳化液，证明其具有比传统乳化方法高几个数量级的能效，从而证明了该新工艺的实用性。达到的中等吞吐量显示了在工业应用中扩大规模和增强规模的希望。