A monolithically three-dimensional flow-focusing device for formation of single/double emulsions in closed/open microfluidic systems

This paper proposes a design concept and fabrication method of a planar three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic flow-focusing device (MFFD) that can produce monodisperse single/double emulsions in a closed/open microfluidic system. The device consists of three layers of SU-8 resist structures to form coaxial embedded orifices at the center of the microchannel with dimensions ranging from 50 µm to 200 µm by means of the black photoresist shadow method. Two or three immiscible fluids can be focused through the coaxial orifices, producing monodispersed droplets with a coefficient of variance (CV) of less than 4.1%. At the orifice, the inner liquid thread stays confined to the central axis of the microchannel, surrounded by the continuous phase. As the dispensed phase (inner fluid thread) does not wet channel walls, our proposed 3D MFFD can produce single emulsions for both water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W) droplets utilizing the same device. The droplet diameter ranges from 50 µm to 300 µm. Also, double emulsions containing one to several internal droplets were successfully produced in the closed channel configuration. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of forming W/O droplets and polymer particles in an open channel configuration by withdrawing the fluid from the outlet channel. W/O droplets and polymer particles, smaller than 10 µm and 40 µm, respectively, were successfully produced. In contrast to the closed channel configuration where the droplet size decreases with an increasing flow rate, in an open channel configuration, the droplet size increases with an increasing withdrawal rate. The unique fabrication of the monolithic 3D MFFD device utilizing SU-8 resist overcomes problems regarding orifice sizes/shapes, alignment and assembly for current axisymmetric flow-focusing devices (AFFD) based on capillary microtubes, and provides flexibility for the future development of an integrated miniaturized lab-on-a-chip microsystem.