Preparation and analysis of uniform emulsion droplets using SPG membrane emulsification technique

A new technique for the preparation of uniform emulsion droplets using Shirasu porous glass (SPG) membranes was evaluated. The hydrophobicity of a dispersion phase and the concentration of the mixed surfactant, by which the interfacial tension between the continuous phase and the dispersion phase was changed, significantly affected the droplet size and size distribution. From the point of view that the difference in the interfacial energy affects the characteristics of the droplets, the effect of wettability of the dispersion phase on the thin layer of the continuous phase on the membrane surface was investigated by measuring the contact angle. It is understood that monodispersity of the droplets is controlled by the wettability of the dispersion phase for the continuous phase in contact with the SFG membrane. The droplet profiles at the initial stage and the final release shown in the schematic diagrams corresponded to the value of adhesional work as a scale of the wettability. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.