Chapter 7 - Applications of microporous glass membranes: Membrane emulsification

Abstract

This chapter discusses the features and applications of “SPG membrane emulsification,” a new membrane emulsification technique, specifically highlighting the methodology. Emulsification has been used in various industrial applications for processing food, cosmetics, medicine, paints, etc. Numerous studies have been reported on the preparation of both Oil-in-Water (O/W) and Water-in-Oil (W/O) emulsions. Applications of microporous glass membranes in emulsification to produce monodispersed droplets, production of uniform silica hydrogel particles, preparation of uniform polymer microspheres, preparation of uniform multiple emulsions, and ozonation of liquids are also described. The microporous membrane applied for the membrane emulsification must provide uniform pore size distribution as well as tolerable mechanical strength. SPG membrane suits such a requirement, because this membrane possesses uniform cylindrical interconnected micropores which are not present in other currently well-known microporous membranes. One of the features of SPG is the unique porous microstructure, which is related to mechanical properties such as strength. The pore size of SPG can be varied over a wide range from several nanometers to 10 micrometers. SPG membrane with the pore outlets uniformly controlled in size and shape is preferable for producing a monodispersed W/O emulsion using the SPG membrane emulsification technique.