Microfluidic devices enable the production of uniform double emulsions with control over droplet size and shell thickness. However, the limited production rate of microfluidic devices precludes the use of monodisperse double emulsions for industrial-scale applications, which require large quantities of droplets. To increase throughput, devices can be parallelized to contain many dropmakers operating simultaneously in one chip, but this is challenging to do for double emulsion dropmakers. Production of double emulsions requires dropmakers to have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic channels, requiring spatially precise patterning of channel surface wettability. Precise wettability patterning is difficult for devices containing multiple dropmakers, posing a significant challenge for parallelization. In this paper, we present a multilayer dropmaker geometry that greatly simplifies the process of producing microfluidic devices with excellent spatial control over channel wettability. Wettability patterning is achieved through the independent functionalization of channels in each layer prior to device assembly, rendering the dropmaker with a precise step between hydrophobic and hydrophilic channels. This device geometry enables uniform wettability patterning of parallelized dropmakers, providing a scalable approach for the production of double emulsions.

中文翻译：

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具有多层几何形状的可并行微流控滴滴器，可产生双乳状液。

微流体装置能够控制液滴的大小和壳的厚度，从而生产出均匀的双乳状液。但是，微流体装置的生产速度有限，使得不能将单分散双乳液用于需要大量液滴的工业规模应用。为了提高产量，可以将设备并行化以在一个芯片中包含许多同时运行的滴管，但这对于双乳剂滴管来说是一项挑战。生产双乳状液需要滴剂同时具有疏水性和亲水性通道，从而需要在空间上精确地形成通道表面润湿性的图案。对于包含多个滴滴器的设备而言，精确的可湿性图案化非常困难，这对并行化提出了重大挑战。在本文中，我们提出了一种多层滴滴器几何形状，该几何形状极大地简化了微流控设备的生产过程，并具有对通道润湿性的出色空间控制能力。通过在装置组装之前每层中通道的独立功能来实现可湿性图案化，从而使滴剂在疏水通道和亲水通道之间具有精确的台阶。这种装置的几何形状可以使平行滴剂的润湿性图案均匀，从而为生产双乳状液提供了一种可扩展的方法。使滴剂在疏水通道和亲水通道之间具有精确的台阶。这种装置的几何形状可以使平行滴剂的润湿性图案均匀，从而为生产双乳状液提供了一种可扩展的方法。使滴剂在疏水通道和亲水通道之间具有精确的台阶。这种装置的几何形状可以使平行滴剂的润湿性图案均匀，从而为生产双乳状液提供了一种可扩展的方法。