1
|
Yang ZY, Yang SZ, Sun GZ, Wang WD, Fei D, Mu BZ, Gang HZ. High efficiency of biosurfactants in stabilizing oil micro-droplets within the aging time scale of milliseconds: a microfluidic study. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:6635-6647. [PMID: 39109438 DOI: 10.1039/d4sm00630e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Rapid adsorption of surfactants onto a freshly formed interface is vital for emulsification because emulsification is a competitive process occurring between the very short time span of interface formation and surfactant mass transport. The biosurfactant surfactin has been previously reported to reach adsorption equilibrium at the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface within hundreds of milliseconds and rapidly reduce the interfacial tension compared to chemically synthesized surfactants. According to a prior study, surfactin is expected to exhibit good performance in stabilizing micro-droplets of oil within the aging time scale of milliseconds. Herein, the stabilities of micro-droplets of n-hexadecane in the presence of a biosurfactant, surfactin (C15-SFT), and a chemically synthesized surfactant, sodium cetyl benzene sulfonate (8-SCBS), were investigated using a microfluidic method. The coalescence frequency of micro-droplets, the evolution of micro-droplet size, and the coalescence time of micro-droplets were evaluated. The results indicated that C15-SFT exhibited superiority over 8-SCBS in stabilizing the micro-droplets of n-hexadecane. Biosurfactant C15-SFT effectively reduced the fusion probability between oil droplets and elongated the coalescence time compared to 8-SCBS, and these phenomena were obvious at a shorter aging time (150 ms) and lower surfactant concentration (0.1 × critical micelle concentration). The stabilities of micro-droplets increased with aging time and the bulk concentration of surfactants. Stable micro-droplets of n-hexadecane were formed in 1 × 10-4 mol L-1 C15-SFT solution at 600 ms aging time, and the bulk concentration was 1 × 10-3 mol L-1 in the case of 8-SCBS. The micro-droplets rarely coalesced in the presence of 1 × 10-4 mol L-1 C15-SFT after 600 ms aging time, but the micro-droplets in 1 × 10-4 mol L-1 8-SCBS coalesced frequently in the midstream and downstream of the coalescence chamber, and big droplets were dominant in the emulsion. The coalescence time of micro-droplets stabilized by C15-SFT was obviously longer than that of those stabilized by 8-SCBS under the same condition, indicating that the interfacial film formed by C15-SFT has much strength to resist coalescence during collisions. This work is helpful for understanding the activity of lipopeptides in the very short early stage of the emulsification process, laying the foundation for biosurfactant research in the fields of enhanced oil recovery, bioremediation of contaminated water or soil, etc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Yuan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, 200237 Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Shi-Zhong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, 200237 Shanghai, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery, MOE, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China
| | - Gang-Zheng Sun
- Shengli Oilfield Company, Sinopec, Dongying, 257000, P. R. China
- Research Institute of Petroleum Engineering and Technology, Shengli Oilfield Company, Sinopec, Dongying, 257000, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Dong Wang
- Shengli Oilfield Company, Sinopec, Dongying, 257000, P. R. China
| | - Dan Fei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, 200237 Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Bo-Zhong Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, 200237 Shanghai, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery, MOE, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China
| | - Hong-Ze Gang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering and School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, 200237 Shanghai, P. R. China
- Engineering Research Center of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery, MOE, East China University of Science and Technology, Meilong 130, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Review of the role of surfactant dynamics in drop microfluidics. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 312:102844. [PMID: 36708604 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.102844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Surfactants are employed in microfluidic systems not just for drop stabilisation, but also to study local phenomena in industrial processes. On the scale of a single drop, these include foaming, emulsification and stability of foams and emulsions using statistically significant ensembles of bubbles or drops respectively. In addition, surfactants are often a part of a formulation in microfluidic drop reactors. In all these applications, surfactant dynamics play a crucial role and need to be accounted for. In this review, the effect of surfactant dynamics is considered on the level of standard microfluidic operations: drop formation, movement in channels and coalescence, but also on a more general level, considering the mechanisms controlling surfactant adsorption on time- and length-scales characteristic of microfluidics. Some examples of relevant calculations are provided. The advantages and challenges of the use of microfluidics to measure dynamic interfacial tension at short time-scales are discussed.
Collapse
|
4
|
Chagot L, Quilodrán-Casas C, Kalli M, Kovalchuk NM, Simmons MJH, Matar OK, Arcucci R, Angeli P. Surfactant-laden droplet size prediction in a flow-focusing microchannel: a data-driven approach. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:3848-3859. [PMID: 36106479 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00416j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The control of droplet formation and size using microfluidic devices is a critical operation for both laboratory and industrial applications, e.g. in micro-dosage. Surfactants can be added to improve the stability and control the size of the droplets by modifying their interfacial properties. In this study, a large-scale data set of droplet size was obtained from high-speed imaging experiments conducted on a flow-focusing microchannel where aqueous surfactant-laden droplets were generated in silicone oil. Three types of surfactants were used including anionic, cationic and non-ionic at concentrations below and above the critical micelle concentration (CMC). To predict the final droplet size as a function of flow rates, surfactant type and concentration of surfactant, two data-driven models were built. Using a Bayesian regularised artificial neural network and XGBoost, these models were initially based on four inputs (flow rates of the two phases, interfacial tension at equilibrium and the normalised surfactant concentration). The mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) show that data-driven models are more accurate (MAPE = 3.9%) compared to semi-empirical models (MAPE = 11.4%). To overcome experimental difficulties in acquiring accurate interfacial tension values under some conditions, both models were also trained with reduced inputs by removing the interfacial tension. The results show again a very good prediction of the droplet diameter. Finally, over 10 000 synthetic data were generated, based on the initial data set, with a Variational Autoencoder (VAE). The high-fidelity of the extended synthetic data set highlights that this method can be a quick and low-cost alternative to study microdroplet formation in future lab on a chip applications, where experimental data may not be readily available.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Chagot
- ThAMeS Multiphase, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, UK.
| | - César Quilodrán-Casas
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, UK.
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Maria Kalli
- ThAMeS Multiphase, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, UK.
| | | | | | - Omar K Matar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Rossella Arcucci
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, UK.
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Panagiota Angeli
- ThAMeS Multiphase, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu L, Guo Z, Liu W. Surface behaviors of droplet manipulation in microfluidics devices. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 308:102770. [PMID: 36113310 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the rapid development of microfluidic technology has caused a revolutionary impact in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and life sciences. Also, droplet control is one of the most important technologies in the field of microfluidics. In order to achieve different degrees of droplet transport, the dynamic balance of the competing processes of droplet driving force and fluid resistance should be controlled to achieve good selectivity of droplet transport. Here, we focus on the principles of droplet transport in microfluidic devices, including the driving forces for droplet transport in fluids and the effects of transport properties on droplet transport. After that, the effects of external fields on the directional transport of droplets and the advantages and disadvantages of each external field in droplet transport are discussed in detail. Finally, the applications and challenges of droplet microfluidics in chemical, biomedical, and mechanical systems are comprehensively introduced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linshan Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiguang Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weimin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Deng B, Schroën K, de Ruiter J. Dynamics of bubble formation in spontaneous microfluidic devices: Controlling dynamic adsorption via liquid phase properties. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 622:218-227. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.04.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
7
|
Jiang B, Jiang S, Zhu C, Ma Y, Fu T. Effects of gas concentration on hydrodynamics of gas absorption in a microchannel. AIChE J 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.17804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University Tianjin China
| | - Shaokun Jiang
- The 718th Research Institute of CSSC, No. 17 Zhanlan Road Handan City Hebei Province China
| | - Chunying Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University Tianjin China
| | - Youguang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University Tianjin China
| | - Taotao Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology Tianjin University Tianjin China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Kashyap S, Almutairi Z, Qin N, Zhao P, Bedi S, Johnson D, Ren CL. Effects of surfactant size and concentration on the internal flow fields of moving slug and Disk-like droplets via μ-PIV. Chem Eng Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2022.117668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|