Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach
The production of melt emulsions is mainly influenced by the crystallization step, as every single droplet needs to crystallize to obtain a stable product with a long shelf life. However, the crystallization of dispersed droplets requires high subcooling, resulting in a time, energy and cost intensi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/12/1471 |
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| author | Gina Kaysan Alexander Rica Gisela Guthausen Matthias Kind |
| author_facet | Gina Kaysan Alexander Rica Gisela Guthausen Matthias Kind |
| author_sort | Gina Kaysan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The production of melt emulsions is mainly influenced by the crystallization step, as every single droplet needs to crystallize to obtain a stable product with a long shelf life. However, the crystallization of dispersed droplets requires high subcooling, resulting in a time, energy and cost intensive production processes. Contact-mediated nucleation (CMN) may be used to intensify the nucleation process, enabling crystallization at higher temperatures. It describes the successful inoculation of a subcooled liquid droplet by a crystalline particle. Surfactants are added to emulsions/suspensions for their stabilization against coalescence or aggregation. They cover the interface, lower the specific interfacial energy and form micelles in the continuous phase. It may be assumed that micelles and high concentrations of surfactant monomers in the continuous phase delay or even hinder CMN as the two reaction partners cannot get in touch. Experiments were carried out in a microfluidic chip, allowing for the controlled contact between a single subcooled liquid droplet and a single crystallized droplet. We were able to demonstrate the impact of the surfactant concentration on the CMN. Following an increase in the aqueous micelle concentrations, the time needed to inoculate the liquid droplet increased or CMN was prevented entirely. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:21:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e5ef1ba5b5442ff9b98f2813644ab16 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:21:34Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Crystals |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e5ef1ba5b5442ff9b98f2813644ab162023-11-23T07:48:12ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522021-11-011112147110.3390/cryst11121471Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic ApproachGina Kaysan0Alexander Rica1Gisela Guthausen2Matthias Kind3Institute for Thermal Process Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute for Thermal Process Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute for Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyInstitute for Thermal Process Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, GermanyThe production of melt emulsions is mainly influenced by the crystallization step, as every single droplet needs to crystallize to obtain a stable product with a long shelf life. However, the crystallization of dispersed droplets requires high subcooling, resulting in a time, energy and cost intensive production processes. Contact-mediated nucleation (CMN) may be used to intensify the nucleation process, enabling crystallization at higher temperatures. It describes the successful inoculation of a subcooled liquid droplet by a crystalline particle. Surfactants are added to emulsions/suspensions for their stabilization against coalescence or aggregation. They cover the interface, lower the specific interfacial energy and form micelles in the continuous phase. It may be assumed that micelles and high concentrations of surfactant monomers in the continuous phase delay or even hinder CMN as the two reaction partners cannot get in touch. Experiments were carried out in a microfluidic chip, allowing for the controlled contact between a single subcooled liquid droplet and a single crystallized droplet. We were able to demonstrate the impact of the surfactant concentration on the CMN. Following an increase in the aqueous micelle concentrations, the time needed to inoculate the liquid droplet increased or CMN was prevented entirely.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/12/1471crystallizationmicrofluidiccontact-mediated nucleationmelt emulsion |
| spellingShingle | Gina Kaysan Alexander Rica Gisela Guthausen Matthias Kind Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach Crystals crystallization microfluidic contact-mediated nucleation melt emulsion |
| title | Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach |
| title_full | Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach |
| title_fullStr | Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach |
| title_short | Contact-Mediated Nucleation of Subcooled Droplets in Melt Emulsions: A Microfluidic Approach |
| title_sort | contact mediated nucleation of subcooled droplets in melt emulsions a microfluidic approach |
| topic | crystallization microfluidic contact-mediated nucleation melt emulsion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/12/1471 |
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