Mechanism Of Droplet Formation Research Articles

Understanding the microfluidic generation of double emulsion droplets with alginate shell

The monodisperse double emulsions obtained by microfluidic method can serve as ideal templates for preparing core-shell alginate microcapsules, which have attracted much attention in biological applications, such as drug delivery systems and cell encapsulation, tissue engineering. However, the formation behavior and dynamic analysis of double emulsion with an alginate shell is still unclear due to the complex rheological behavior of alginate solutions. Herein, we employ a dual-coaxial microfluidic device to generate the high-quality double emulsion droplets with alginate shell, focusing on the effects of the fluid properties of alginate solution in the middle phase (viscosity, μm) and the fluid flow rate on the droplet formation mechanism. As the viscosity of the middle fluid (μm) increased, the size of compound droplets (D2) increased and the size of inner droplets (D1) decreased, and the break-up regimes occurred a dripping-to-jetting transition when μm = 160 mPa s. The number of encapsulated inner droplets can be predicted and precisely controlled by regulating the generation frequency of inner (f1) and outer droplets (f2). The breakup dynamics of the alginate thread are also analyzed by using the volume-of-fluid/continuum-surface-force (VOF/CSF) method. The results show that the pressure and velocity in the neck of pinch-off is lower in the jetting than that in the dripping regime. This study will provide useful guidance for the rational design and controllable preparation of core-shell alginate microcapsules.

Experimental validation of a coupling concept for drop formation and growth onto porous materials by high-resolution X-ray imaging technique

Droplets formed on the hydrophobic surface of a porous medium exposed to a cross-flowing gas stream have a strong influence on the mass, momentum, and energy exchange across the porous interface, being of importance in several physical systems and engineering applications, like fuel cells. However, the fluid displacement front is highly complex at the pore-scale, since it is characterized by the surface wettability and a contact angle variation along the triple line. Furthermore, the droplet formation is affected by the pore geometry and the surface wettability. These result in a challenging multi-phase scenario with controversial literature, and few studies consider the detailed mechanism of droplet formation on the surface of the porous medium. In this work, two multi-scale simulations for the emerging water droplet from a single hydrophobic capillary pore opening into the gas phase are validated by a benchmark experiment with the help of a high-resolution X-ray imaging technique to characterize the droplet growing. A three-domain approach (gaseous free flow, interface and porous medium, FIP) was compared with a two-domain approach (based on a free-flow and the porous medium, FP). Whereas the three-domain approach introduces two sets of coupling conditions, one for the free flow-interface and one for the interface-porous medium, the two-domain approach introduces only one set of coupling connections for describing the interaction between the domains. In both approaches, droplet formation and growth alter the coupling conditions between the domains. While the FIP approach treats the porous medium as a continuous matter, it is resolved discretely with the help of a pore network in the FP approach. Both approaches show good agreements with the experimental observations and high correspondences for the drop volume, radii and contact angle evolution. The proposed models provide a base for future developments and help to gain a better insight about the impact of the droplet formation on the interface in a coupled free flow-porous medium system.

Toward unraveling the mechanisms of aerosol generation during phonation

Aerosol droplets made from respiratory liquid are of fundamental importance for airborne transmission of several virus-based diseases, such as COVID-19. While the transmission route in the air has been intensively studied in the last two years, only few papers deal with the formation of these droplets. It seems to be accepted that such droplets are generated by upper airway activity such as talking, sneezing, or coughing. Especially talking is associated with disease transmission, although the droplet formation mechanisms have not been fully resolved yet. Thus, we focus on the investigation of the atomization process of respiratory liquid attached to the vocal folds. A new experimental setup has been installed that emulates the vocal folds and their oscillating movement in a simplified manner. A model liquid mimicking the respiratory mucus is dispersed at the vocal folds. The primary atomization of the model liquid into an air stream is observed qualitatively. This new insight shows that in contrast to the typical assumption that only liquid bridges form between the vocal folds and breakup into droplets, rather bubbles are generated, which can breakup into much smaller particles than filaments. Furthermore, droplet size distributions downstream of the vocal folds are evaluated. The influence of the oscillation frequency and amplitude as well as air flow rate on the droplet size distributions are analyzed. It is found that an increase in both frequency and amplitude leads to smaller particle sizes, while raising the air flow rate results in a higher proportion of larger particles.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modelling of ZnO-SiO2 Composite Through a Consecutive Electrospray and Spray Drying Method

Modelling of the droplet formation and drying process in the synthesis of Zinc Oxide-Silicon Dioxide (ZnO-SiO2) composite have been conducted through a CFD modelling. In general, modelling of spray drying only focused on exploring the drying chamber section. The phenomenon builds in a consecutive electrospray and spray drying method has been successfully studied in this paper. The influence of carrier gas flow rate (2 to 10 L/min), precursor flow rate (1 to 10 ml/h), drying chamber temperature and applied voltage (12 to 14 kV) were investigated systematically. Numerical modelling was conducted to describe the mechanism of the composite droplet formation through the jet shape of the electrospray. Evaporation of the initial composite droplet was considered in the modelling, accounting for its size evolution. Simultaneous mass transfer modelling due to the composite evaporation was solved in combination with a general dynamic equation solution. The modelling results show that the applied voltage and the precursor flow rate effectively affected the composite droplet size. While the carrier gas flow rate and the drying chamber temperature, influenced the effectiveness of the composite particle formation in the spray drying synthesis.

Lens Nucleation and Droplet Budding in a Membrane Model for Lipid Droplet Biogenesis.

Lipid droplet biogenesis comprises the emergence of cytosolic lipid droplets with a typical diameter 0.1-5 μm via synthesis of fat in the endoplasmatic reticulum, the formation of membrane-embedded lenses, and the eventual budding of lenses into solution as droplets. Lipid droplets in cells are increasingly being viewed as highly dynamic organelles with multiple functions in cell physiology. However, the mechanism of droplet formation in cells remains poorly understood, partly because their formation involves the rapid transformation of transient lipid structures that are difficult to capture. Thus, the development of controlled experimental systems that model lipid biogenesis is highly relevant for an enhanced mechanistic understanding. Here we prepare and characterize triolein (TO) lenses in a multilamellar spin-coated phosphatidylcholine (POPC) film and determine the lens nucleation threshold to 0.25-0.5% TO. The TO lens shapes are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) including their mean cap angle ⟨α⟩ = 27.3° and base radius ⟨a⟩ = 152.7 nm. A cross-correlation analysis of corresponding AFM and fluorescence images confirms that TO is localized to lenses. Hydration of the lipid/lens film induces the gel to fluid membrane phase transition and makes the lenses more mobile. The budding of free droplets into solution from membrane lenses is detected by observing a change in motion from confined wiggling to ballistic motion of droplets in solution. The results confirm that droplet budding can occur spontaneously without being facilitated by proteins. The developed model system provides a controlled platform for testing mechanisms of lipid droplet biogenesis in vitro and addressing questions related to lens formation and droplet budding by quantitative image analysis.

Insights into the dynamics of non-Newtonian droplet formation in a T-junction microchannel

The non-Newtonian shear-thinning droplet formation mechanism in a T-junction microchannel is experimentally investigated using the aqueous solutions of xanthan gum as the dispersed phase and mineral oil as the continuous phase. Influences of both phase flow rates and polymer concentration on flow regime transition are explored. It is observed that the initial vertical expansion stage is present only for the Newtonian and lower shear-thinning systems. The droplet evolution rate shows the influence of continuous phase flow rate and shear-thinning properties on the dynamics of necking stages, viz., squeezing, transition, pinch-off, and filament thinning. Analysis of Ohnesorge number (Oh) reveals that inertial force dominates in the squeezing stage, whereas viscous and interfacial force control in the filament thinning stage. Longer and stable filament generation is detected as a discerning feature for non-Newtonian systems that appears more prominent with increasing dispersed phase shear-thinning properties. The results also indicate an inverse relation of droplet length with the continuous phase flow rate and xanthan gum concentration, while the droplet formation frequency and its polydispersity vary directly with those parameters.

Aggregation of Lactoferrin Caused by Droplet Atomization Process via a Two-Fluid Nozzle: The Detrimental Effect of Air-Water Interfaces.

Biological macromolecules, especially therapeutic proteins, are delicate and highly sensitive to denaturation from stresses encountered during the manufacture of dosage forms. Thin-film freeze-drying (TFFD) and spray freeze-drying (SFD) are two processes used to convert liquid forms of protein into dry powders. In the production of inhalable dry powders that contain proteins, these potential stressors fall into three categories based on their occurrence during the primary steps of the process: (1) droplet formation (e.g., the mechanism of droplet formation, including spray atomization), (2) freezing, and (3) frozen water removal (e.g., sublimation). This study compares the droplet formation mechanism used in TFFD and SFD by investigating the effects of spraying on the stability of proteins, using lactoferrin as a model. This study considers various perspectives on the denaturation (e.g., conformation) of lactoferrin after subjecting the protein solution to the atomization process using a pneumatic two-fluid nozzle (employed in SFD) or a low-shear drop application through the nozzle. The surface activity of lactoferrin was examined to explore the interfacial adsorption tendency, diffusion, and denaturation process. Subsequently, this study also investigates the secondary and tertiary structure of lactoferrin and the quantification of monomers, oligomers, and, ultimately, aggregates. The spraying process affected the tertiary structure more negatively than the tightly woven secondary structure, resulting in the peak position corresponding to the tryptophan (Trp) residues red-shifting by 1.5 nm. This conformational change can either (a) be reversed at low concentrations via relaxation or (b) proceed to form irreversible aggregates at higher concentrations. Interestingly, when the sample was allowed to progress into micrometer-sized aggregates, such a dramatic change was not detected using methods such as size-exclusion chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and dynamic light scattering at 173°. A more complete understanding of the heterogeneous protein sample was achieved only through a combination of 173 and 13° backward and forward scattering, a combination of derived count rate measurements, and microflow imaging (MFI). After studying the impact of droplet formation mechanisms on aggregation tendency of lactoferrin, we further investigated two additional model proteins with different surface activity: bovine IgG (serving as a non surface-active negative reference), and β-galactosidase (another surface-active protein). The results corroborated the lactoferrin findings that spray-atomization-related stress-induced protein aggregation was much more pronounced for proteins that are surface active (lactoferrin and β-galactosidase), but it was minimal for non-surface-active protein (bovine IgG). Finally, compared to the low-shear dripping used in the TFFD process, lactoferrin underwent a relatively fast conformational change upon exposure to the high air-water interface of the two-fluid atomization nozzle used in the SFD process as compared to the low shear dripping used in the TFFD process. The interfacial-induced denaturation that occurred during spraying was governed primarily by the size of the atomized droplets, regardless of the duration of exposure to air. The percentage of denatured protein population and associated activity loss, in the case of β-galactosidase, was determined to range from 2 to 10% depending on the air-flow rate of the spraying process.

Trends in Droplet Microfluidics: From Droplet Generation to Biomedical Applications.

Over the past decade, droplet microfluidics has attracted growing interest in biology, medicine, and engineering. In this feature article, we review the advances in droplet microfluidics, primarily focusing on the research conducted by our group. Starting from the introduction to the mechanisms of microfluidic droplet formation and the strategies for cell encapsulation in droplets, we then focus on droplet transformation into microgels. Furthermore, we review three biomedical applications of droplet microfluidics, that is, 3D cell culture, single-cell analysis, and in vitro organ and disease modeling. We conclude with our perspective on future directions in the development of droplet microfluidics for biomedical applications.

Model droplet formation in extensional filament stretching within a Filament Extension Atomizer

Further innovation in the field of selective laser sintering (SLS) is strongly connected to the availability of new materials since the market is dominated by polyamide 12 (>90%). The aim of this publication is to develop a descriptive model for the droplet formation process in a Filament Extension Atomizer to predict the applicability to exploit further polymers for the SLS process. The feasibility was tested, investigated and characterized using a “Dripping out of a nozzle” setup for uniaxial extension. The droplet formation process was then observed via high-speed camera imaging and classified for certain parameters. The experiments were carried out using semi-diluted polyethylene oxide (600–4000 kg/mol), glycerol and water solutions as model fluids. Driven by the Plateau-Rayleigh instability, different types of spherical droplets were observed and various droplet formation mechanisms demonstrated and analyzed. Based on the experimental results, a predictive model is derived to describe various essential parameters.

Progress in all-aqueous droplets generation with microfluidics: Mechanisms of formation and stability improvements.

All-aqueous systems have attracted intensive attention as a promising platform for applications in cell separation, protein partitioning, and DNA extraction, due to their selective separation capability, rapid mass transfer, and good biocompatibility. Reliable generation of all-aqueous droplets with accurate control over their size and size distribution is vital to meet the increasingly growing demands in emulsion-based applications. However, the ultra-low interfacial tension and large effective interfacial thickness of the water-water interface pose challenges for the generation and stabilization of uniform all-aqueous droplets, respectively. Microfluidics technology has emerged as a versatile platform for the precision generation of all-aqueous droplets with improved stability. This review aims to systematize the controllable generation of all-aqueous droplets and summarize various strategies to improve their stability with microfluidics. We first provide a comprehensive review on the recent progress of all-aqueous droplets generation with microfluidics by detailing the properties of all-aqueous systems, mechanisms of droplet formation, active and passive methods for droplet generation, and the property of droplets. We then review the various strategies used to improve the stability of all-aqueous droplets and discuss the fabrication of biomaterials using all-aqueous droplets as liquid templates. We envision that this review will benefit the future development of all-aqueous droplet generation and its applications in developing biomaterials, which will be useful for researchers working in the field of all-aqueous systems and those who are new and interested in the field.

Rotavirus-Induced Lipid Droplet Biogenesis Is Critical for Virus Replication.

A variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and parasites, target cellular lipid droplets for their replication. Rotaviruses (RVs) infect the villous epithelium of the small intestine and are a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide. RVs induce and require lipid droplets for the formation of viroplasms, sites of virus genome replication, and nascent particle assembly. Here we review the role of lipid droplets in RV replication. Inhibitors of fatty acid synthesis or chemicals that interfere with lipid droplet homeostasis decrease the number and size of viroplasms and the yield of infectious virus. We used a genetically engineered RV, delayed in viroplasm assembly, to show an early interaction of RV nonstructural protein NSP2 and the lipid droplet-associated protein phospho-PLIN1. The interaction between NSP2 and phospho-PLIN1 suggests that we have identified part of the mechanism of RV-induced lipid droplet formation. These studies demonstrate that RV is an excellent model to dissect the cellular process of lipid droplet formation and to determine how RV induces and usurps lipid droplet biogenesis to form viroplasm/lipid droplets for virus replication.

Sliding and Rolling Motion of a Ferro-Liquid Droplet on the Hydrophobic Surface under Magnetic Influence.

The ferro-liquid droplet manipulation on hydrophobic surfaces remains vital for various applications in biomedicine, sensors and actuators, and oil-water separation. The magnetic influence of ferro-liquid droplets on the hydrophobic surface is elucidated. The mechanisms of a newborn droplet formation under the magnetic force are explored. The sliding and rolling dynamics of the ferro-liquid droplets are assessed for the various concentrations wt % of ferro-particles. High-speed recording and a tracker program are used to evaluate the droplet sliding and translational velocities. It is demonstrated that the mode of droplet motion changes from sliding to rolling as the magnetic Bond number increases, in which case, the droplet position becomes close to the magnet surface. The translational velocity of the droplet under rolling mode increases as the ferro-particle concentration in the droplet fluid increases. A further increase of the magnetic Bond number results in the creation of a newborn droplet attached to the magnet surface.

Study on the dynamic characteristics of stable formation of single droplet in gas-liquid co-flow device

The dynamic characteristics of the stable formation of a single droplet in a gas-liquid co-flow device are studied experimentally. The scaling laws of the dimensionless necking radius R of a droplet with dimensionless remaining time τ for different parameters are analyzed, and the reasons for the transformation between these scaling laws are discussed. The results show that the change in the main pressure has little effect on the scaling law. In the earlier necking, R follows a 1/5 power law with respect to τ. In the later collapse, a 2/3 power law is matched. When the auxiliary pressure changes, the pneumatic shear force has a large impact on the earlier necking, causing the scaling law to change, but only a slight effect on the later collapse. Simultaneously, the droplet size and jet limit length decrease significantly with an increase in auxiliary pressure. The results are of great significance for revealing the mechanism of droplet formation and reducing droplet formation size in gas-liquid co-flow devices and provide a theoretical reference for further study of stable droplet formation.

Hydrodynamic Interaction Between Tear Film and Air Puff From Noncontact Tonometry.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of potential droplet formation in response to air puff deformation with two noncontact tonometers (NCTs).MethodsTwenty healthy volunteers were examined using two NCTs, Ocular Response Analyzer and Corvis ST, and two contact tonometers, iCare and Tono-Pen. High-speed videos of the tear film response were captured with at spatial resolution of 20 microns/pixel at 2400 fps. Droplet size, droplet velocity, distance between air puff impact location, and the tear meniscus-lid margin were characterized.ResultsOne subject was excluded due to technical issues. Droplets were detected only in tests with instilled eye drop. Videos showed the tear film rolls away from the apex while remaining adherent to the ocular surface due to the tendency of the fluid to remain attached to a solid surface explained by the Coanda effect. Twelve out of 38 videos with an eye drop administration showed droplet formation. Only one resulted in droplets with predominantly forward motion, which had the shortest distance between air puff impact location and lower meniscus. This distance on average was 5.9 ± 1.1 mm. The average droplet size was 500 ± 200 µm.ConclusionsResults indicate no droplet formation under typical clinical setting. Hence, standard clinical use of NCT tests is not expected to cause droplets. NCT testing with eye drop administration showed droplet formation at the inferior eyelid boundary, which acts as a barrier and interrupts tear flow.Translational RelevanceStudy of tear film interaction with NCT air puff shows that these tonometers are not expected to cause droplet formation in standard use and that if external drops are required, both eyelids should be held if patients need assistance to maintain open eyes to avoid droplets with predominantly forward motion.

Recent insights into the role of glia and oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease gained from Drosophila.

Here, we discuss findings made using Drosophila on Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk and progression. Recent studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying glia-mediated neuroprotection in AD. First, we discuss a novel mechanism of glial lipid droplet formation that occurs in response to elevated reactive oxygen speciesin neurons. The data suggest that disruptions to this process contributeto AD risk. We further discuss novel mechanistic insights into glia-mediated Aβ42-clearance made using the fly. Finally, we highlight work that provides evidence that the aberrant accumulation of reactive oxygen species in AD may not just be a consequence of disease but contribute to disease progression as well. Cumulatively, the discussed studies highlight recent, relevant discoveries in AD made using Drosophila.

Formation of a core-shell droplet in a thermo-responsive ionic liquid/water mixture by using optical tweezers.

Many chemical and biological processes involve phase separation; however, controlling this is challenging. Here, we demonstrate local phase separation using optical tweezers in a thermo-responsive ionic liquid/water solution. Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, a single droplet is formed at the focal spot. The droplet has a core consisting of highly concentrated ionic liquid. The mechanism of the core-shell droplet formation is discussed in view of the spatial distribution of optical and thermal potentials.

Experimental study on the secondary droplet formation mechanism when droplet impacting on superheated surface

When a droplet impacts a superheated surface, due to the different effects between wall superheat and the initial Weber number of the droplet, secondary droplets will be generated by different mechanisms due to the coupling effect of kinetics and temperatures, such as fracture, spray, atomization, and breakup. In this paper, a visual experimental study is conducted based on the effects when droplets impacting on the superheated wall. The wall temperature ranges from room temperature to 650 °C, and the droplet Weber number ranges from about 10 to 500. Based on the sequence images of droplets taken by a high-speed camera, three of four secondary droplet mechanisms (excluding fracture droplets) are presented and discussed in detail. Furthermore, the size and velocity distribution of the secondary droplets under different mechanisms are quantitatively analyzed through image processing. Finally, an edge-breaking model of the droplet with a high-temperature wall is proposed considering the evaporative momentum force near the triple-phase contact line, and it is in good agreement with the experimental results.

A numerical study of droplet splitting in branched T-shaped microchannel using the two-phase level-set method

Droplet splitting as a significant feature of droplet-based microfluidic systems has been widely employed in biotechnology, biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, and it has been preferred over continuous flow systems. In the present paper, two-dimensional numerical simulations have been done to examine the asymmetrical droplet splitting process. The two-phase level set method (LSM) has been predicted to analyze the mechanism of droplet formation and droplet splitting in immiscible liquid/liquid two-phase flow in the branched T-junction microchannel. Governing equations on flow field have been discretized and solved using finite element-based COMSOL Multiphysics software (version 5.3a). Obtained numerical results were validated by experimental data reported in the literature which show acceptable agreement. The model was developed to simulate the mechanism of droplet splitting at the branched T-junction microchannel. This study provides a passive technique to asymmetrically split up microdroplets at the downstream T-junctions. The results show that outlet branches’ pressure gradient affects the droplet splitting. Specifically, it has been shown that the splitting ratio increases by increasing the length ratio, and equal droplet splitting can be achieved where the ratio is LL/ Lu = 1. We have used two outlet branches having the same width but different lengths to create the required pressure gradient. As the length ratio of the outlet branches increases, the diameter ratio increases as well.

Dynamics of droplet formation and mechanisms of satellite droplet formation in T-junction microchannel

The dynamics of droplet formation in T-junction microchannel was visually investigated. Three different droplet formation flow patterns were observed: single satellite droplet, no satellite droplet, multiple satellite droplets. The formation process of droplets could be divided into four sequential stages: squeezing stage, transition stage, pinch-off stage, and filament thinning stage. In the squeezing stage and pinch-off stage, the minimum neck width of the droplet varies linearly with time, and the neck thinning rate is independent of continuous phase capillary number. In the transition stage, the minimum neck width of the droplet follows power-law relation with time, and the thinning rate of the droplet neck increases with continuous phase capillary number. In the filament rupture stage, the rupture mode of the filament varies with the increase of continuous phase flow rate. The different satellite droplet formation flow patterns and mechanisms were studied and elucidated.

Insights into the Stability and Formation of Water Droplets Using Operando X-Ray Tomographic Microscopy

The developments in 4D X-ray tomographic microscopy (XTM) have enabled it to become a versatile tool to image the dynamic processes in gas diffusion layers of PEFCs during fuel cell operation [1-4]. Recent work on droplet formation and detachment cycle [5, 6] has provided insights into the interaction between the percolating water cluster feeding the droplet on the GDL surface and allowed the calculation of the capillary pressure in the water cluster via surface curvature analysis. The work of Mularzcyk et al. [6] was limited to the analysis of a single percolating water cluster using a small active area of 0.005 mm2. Here we extend the previous study by using CCMs with 8 small active areas (0.0625 mm2) thereby, allowing the analysis of the development and interaction of multiple percolating water clusters, in addition to increasing statistics.CCMs were laser ablated to form 8 isolated active areas of 0.25 mm x 0.25 mm that act as individual water injection sites (see Figure 1a) into the GDL (Toray TGP-H-060, 10wt% PTFE). The cell was imaged with a scan rate of 1Hz for 180 s after a current jump from OCV to 1 A/cm2 at 30°C cell temperature and 100% relative humidity of anode and cathode feed. Each active domain initiated a droplet feeding percolation cluster while some even provided two (see Figure 1b&c). This presentation will discuss the growth and expansion of the individual water clusters and provide profound insights into the droplet formation mechanism and the stability of the droplet’s connection to its feeding water cluster.