Droplet drinking in constrictions,Lab on a Chip

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Droplet drinking in constrictions
Lab on a Chip ( IF 6.1 ) Pub Date : 2024-06-18 , DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00381k
Shi Feng ₁ , Chundong Xue ₂ , Cunliang Pan ₃ , Shengyang Tao ₁

Affiliation

Droplets generated through microfluidics serve as a common platform for assembling artificial cells, which are feasibly tailored using microfluidic methodology. The ability of natural cells to undergo shape changes, such as phagocytosis, is a typical characteristic that researchers aim to mimic in artificial cells. However, simulating the deformation behavior of natural cells within droplets is exceptionally challenging. Here, this study reports a pinocytosis-like phenomenon observed in droplets, termed “droplet drinking”. When droplets traverse a capillary with constrictions, the shear force from the continuous-phase fluid induces relative motion within the droplets, creating concave regions at the rear. These regions facilitate engulfing of the continuous-phase fluid, resulting in the formation of multiple emulsions. This behavior is influenced by the capillary number, and the size of the ingested droplets is governed by the interfacial tension between the two phases. The production of multicore or multi-shell emulsions can be easily accomplished by making slight adjustments to the constrictions. Furthermore, this method demonstrates the integration of reactants into pre-existing droplets, facilitating biochemical reactions. This study presents a convenient approach for generating complex emulsions and an innovative strategy for studying deformation behavior in droplet-based artificial cells.

中文翻译：

狭窄处滴饮

通过微流体产生的液滴可作为组装人造细胞的通用平台，这些人造细胞可以使用微流体方法进行定制。天然细胞经历形状变化（例如吞噬作用）的能力是研究人员旨在在人造细胞中模仿的典型特征。然而，模拟液滴内自然细胞的变形行为非常具有挑战性。在这里，这项研究报告了在液滴中观察到的类似胞饮作用的现象，称为“液滴饮用”。当液滴穿过具有收缩的毛细管时，来自连续相流体的剪切力引起液滴内的相对运动，从而在后部形成凹入区域。这些区域有利于连续相流体的吞没，从而形成多重乳液。这种行为受到毛细管数的影响，并且摄入液滴的大小由两相之间的界面张力控制。通过对收缩进行轻微调整即可轻松实现多核或多壳乳液的生产。此外，该方法演示了反应物整合到预先存在的液滴中，促进生化反应。这项研究提出了一种生成复杂乳液的便捷方法，以及研究基于液滴的人造细胞变形行为的创新策略。

更新日期：2024-06-21

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