Let’s Break Up the Bulk
Water and oil are fluids that do not mix.
When water and oil-based fluids are combined under shear forces induced with simple shaking, in a blender, or by using precision droplet-based microfluidics devices, droplet emulsions are formed. Without inclusion of a key ingredient, the produced droplets are unstable and separate into the original bulk solutions over time.
The magical key ingredient is called a surfactant.
Optimal surfactants produce functional droplets
When surfactants are brought into the mix to create a droplet emulsion, the molecules assemble at the interface between the water droplets and oil layer, creating a molecular shell-like film around the droplet to prevent it from fusing with neighboring drops.
When droplets are produced using microfluidics devices, they are all the same size–a very handy feature for biotechnology experiments as now each droplet can be considered an individual “micro test-tube”.
At SURFACtoBioTech, our solutions center around surfactants.
Try our surfactants & Drop us a Line!
Our surfactant library is constantly growing and we are searching for shadow testers to try our products with unique applications. Interested?
We would love to help you optimize your interfaces and bring the power of surfactant-stabilized droplets to your bench.