Microfluidics & Emulsions

The use of microfluidic modules enables the production and control of calibrated droplets. This accurate control on droplet shapes and interfaces provides means to extract quantitative informations on interfaces, in statics and dynamics. We are for example interested in transient states in emulsion stabilisation by surfactants and their link to dynamic surface tensions.

Microfluidic Dynamic Interfacial Tensiometry (μDIT)

We designed, developed and characterized a microfluidic method for the measurement of surfactant adsorption kinetics via interfacial tensiometry on a microfluidic chip. The principle of the measurement is based on the deformability of droplets as a response to hydrodynamic forcing through a series of microfluidic expansions. We focus our analysis on one perfluoro surfactant molecule of practical interest for droplet-based microfluidic applications. We show that although the adsorption kinetics is much faster than the kinetics of the corresponding pendant drop experiment, our droplet-based microfluidic system has a sufficient time resolution to obtain quantitative measurement at the sub-second time-scale on nanoliter droplet volumes, leading to both a gain by a factor of ~10 in time resolution and a downscaling of the measurement volumes by a factor of ~1000 compared to standard techniques. Our approach provides new insight into the adsorption of surfactant molecules at liquid-liquid interfaces in a confined environment, relevant to emulsification, encapsulation and foaming, and the ability to measure adsorption and desorption rate constants.

Microfluidic Dynamic Interfacial Tensiometry (μDIT) Q. Brosseau, J. Vrignon and J.-C. Baret Soft Matter, 10, 3066-3076 (2014)

Permeation processes in emulsions: A microfluidic study

The transport of chemicals between droplets in an emulsion is a problem of both fundamental interest to understand ageing of emulsion and of practical relevance for the storage of chemical compounds as library in droplets. Over the past years, several applications have been hindered by the uncontrolled exchange process and the lack of understanding of the underlying phenomena.

Here we used a microfluidic system to systematically study the exchange process in fluorinated emulsions and we established quantitatively the crucial role of surfactant. We also clarified the role of additives such as proteins which are known to slow down the exchange kinetics.

Our approach leads to a better understanding of molecular transport which will be valuable for the control of experimental conditions for droplet-based microfluidic applications.

Imaging of surfactant stabilized nanostructures using microfluidics
Project B12 within the SFB 755 - Nanoscale Photonic Imaging

Our aim is to study how the microscopic and nanoscopic details of interfaces drive the macroscopic behavior of two-phase fluids. Using x-ray imaging techniques and fluorescence microscopy we want to resolve the dynamics of transient mechanisms such as bilayer formation and rupture, network formation of bilayers, and micellar or surfactant transport. We will use microfluidic systems to control these structures to provide new quantitative insights in the understanding of dynamical processes in multiphase fluids.

Other collaborations

Related PhD Thesis in the Group

Molecular Transport in Emulsions: From Permeation to Controlled Delivery using Microfluidics P. Gruner Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 2014 The financial support of the SFB755 Nanoscale photonic is warmly acknowledged

Related Publications

Frontiers in single cell analysis: multimodaltechnologies and their clinical perspectives J. Kallberg, W. Xiao, D. Van Assche,JC Baret, and V. Taly Lab Chip 2022

Directed evolution in drops: molecular aspects and applications A. Manteca, A. Gadea, D. van Assche, P. Cossard, M. Gillard-Bocquet, T. Beneyton, A. Innis, J.-C. Baret ACS Synthetic Biology (2021)

Confining Trypanosoma brucei in emulsion droplets reveals population variabilities in division rates and improves in vitro cultivation S. Oldenburg, L. Buisson, T. Beneyton, D. Pekin, M. Thonnus, F. Bringaud, L. Riviere and J.-C. Baret Scientific Reports, 11, 18192 (2021)

From collections of independent, mindless robots to flexible, mobile, anddirectional superstructures J. F. Boudet, J. Lintuvuori, C. Lacouture, T. Barois, A. Deblais, K. Xie, S. Cassagnere, B. Tregon, D. B. Brueckner, J.-C. Baret, H. Kellay Science Robotics (2021)

Variable inter- and intra-species alkaline phosphatase activity within single cells of revived dinoflagellates M. Girault, R. Siano, C. Labry, M. Latimier, C. Jauzein, T. Beneyton, L. Buisson, Y. Del Amo, J.-C. Baret The ISME Journal (2021)

Fast and Ample Light Controlled Actuation of Monodisperse All-DNA Microgels R. Merindol, N. Martin, T. Beneyton, J.-C. Baret, S. Ravaine Advanced Functional Materials, 2010396 (2021)

A new-to-nature carboxylation module to improve natural and synthetic CO2 fixation M. Scheffen, D.G. Marchal, T. Beneyton, S. K. Schuller, M. Klose, C. Diehl, J. Lehmann, P. Pfister, M. Carrillo, H. He, S. Aslan, N. S. Cortina, P. Claus, D. Bollschweiler, J.-C. Baret, J. M. Schuller, J. Zarzycki, A. Bar-Even and T. J. Erb Nature Catalysis (2021)

Formulations for microfluidics F. Maes and J.-C. Baret Actualite Chimique, 453, 59-60 (2020)

Light-powered CO2 fixation in a chloroplast mimic with natural and synthetic parts T. E. Miller, T. Beneyton, T. Schwander, C. Diehl, M. Girault, R. McLean, T. Chotel, P. Claus, N. Socorro Cortina, J.-C. Baret, T.J. Erb Science 368, 6491, pp. 649-654 (2020)

High-Throughput Synthesis and Screening of Functional Coacervates Using Microfluidics T. Beneyton, C. Love, M. Girault, T.Y. D. Tang, J.-C. Baret Chem. Systems Chem. 2, e2000022 (2020)

High-Throughput Triggered Merging of Surfactant-Stabilized Droplet Pairs Using Traveling Surface Acoustic Waves V. Bussiere, A. Vigne, A. Link, J. McGrath, A. Srivastav, J.-C. Baret, T. Franke Anal. Chem. 91, 21, 13978-13985 (2019)

Rapid Stabilization of Droplets by Particles in Microfluidics: Role of Droplet Formation L.A. Chacon, J.-C. Baret Chem Systems Chem, 1, 16-24 (2019)

Rational design of a high-throughput droplet sorter S S. Schuetz, T. Beneyton, J.-C. Baret, T.M. Schneider Lab chip, 19, 2220 (2019)

Microfluidic technology for plankton research M. Girault, T. Beneyton, Y. Del Amo and J.-C. Baret Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 55, 134-150 (2019)

High throughput multiplexed fluorescence activated droplet sorting O. Caen, S. S. Schuetz, M.Jammalamadaka, J. Vrignon, P. Nizard, T. Schneider, J.-C. Baret and V. Taly Microsystems and Nanoengineering, 4 (2018)

Out-of-equilibrium microcompartments for the bottom-up integration of metabolic functions T. Beneyton, D. Krafft, C. Bednarz, C. Kleineberg, C. Woelfer, I. Ivanov, T. Vidakovic-Koch, K. Sundmacher and J.-C. Baret Nature Communications, 9:2391 (2018)

MaxSynBio - Avenues towards creating cells from the bottom up P. Schwille, J. Spatz, K. Landfester, E. Bodenschatz, S. Herminghaus, V. Sourjik, T. Erb, P. Bastiaens, R. Lipowsky, A. Hyman, P. Dabrock, J.-C. Baret, T. Vidakovic-Koch, P. Bieling, R. Dimova, H.Mutschler, T. Robinson, D. Tang, S. Wegner, and K. Sundmacher Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 57, 13382-13392 (2018)

Preparation of swellable hydrogel-containing colloidosomes from aqueous two-phase Pickering emulsion droplets J-P Douliez, N. Martin, T. Beneyton, J.-C. Eloi, J-P Chapel, L. Navailles, J.-C. Baret, S. Mann, L. Beven Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 57, 7780-7784 (2018)

Boundaries control collective dynamics of inertial self-propelled robots A. Deblais, T. Barois, T. Guerin, P. H. Delville, R. Vaudaine, J. S. Lintuvuori, J. F. Boudet, J.-C. Baret, and H. Kellay Physical Review Letters, 120, 188002(2018)

High-Content Screening of Plankton Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Microfluidics M. Girault, T. Beneyton, D. Pekin, L. Buisson, S. Bichon, C. Charbonnier, Y. del Amo, and J.-C. Baret Analytical Chemistry 90 (6), 4174-4181 (2018)

From Compartmentalization of Bacteria within Inorganic Macrocellular Beads to the Assembly of Microbial Consortia A. Roucher, M. Morvan, D. Pekin, M. Depardieu, J.-L. Blin, V. Schmitt, M. Konrad, J.-C. Baret and R. Backov Advanced Biosystems, 2, 1700233 (2018)

Catanionic Coacervate Droplets as a Surfactant-Based Membrane-Free Protocell Model J.-P. Douliez, N. Martin, C. Gaillard, T. Beneyton, J.-C. Baret, S. Mann, L. Beven Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 56, 44, 13689 (2017)

High throughput single cell counting in droplet-based microfluidics H. Lu, O. Caen, J. Vrignon, E. Zonta, Z. El Harrak, P. Nizard, J.-C. Baret & V. Taly Scientific Reports 7, 1366 (2017)

Microfluidic angle of repose test for Pickering emulsions L.A. Chacon and J.-C. Baret Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 50, 39 (2017)

Surfactant adsorption kinetics in microfluidics B. Riechers, F. Maes, E. Akoury, B. Semin, P. Gruner, and J.-C. Baret Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A, 113, 41, 11465-11470 (2016)

Controlling molecular transport in minimal emulsions P. Gruner, B. Riechers, B. Semin, J. Lim, A. Johnston, K. Short, J.-C. Baret Nature Communications, 10392 (2016)

Digital PCR compartmentalization. I. Single molecule detection of rare mutations K. Perez-Toralla, D. Pekin, J.-F. Bartolo, F. Garlan, P. Nizard, P. Laurent-Puig, J.-C. Baret and V. Taly Medecine Sciences 31 : 84-92 (2015)

Microfluidic Dynamic Interfacial Tensiometry (μDIT) Q. Brosseau, J. Vrignon and J.-C. Baret Soft Matter, 10, 3066-3076 (2014)

Ultra-high throughout detection of single cell β-galactosidase activity in droplets using micro-optical lens array J. Lim, J. Vrignon, P. Gruner, C. Karamitros, M. Konrad, and J.-C. Baret Applied Physics Letters, 103,20 (2013)

Micro-optical lens array for fluorescence detection in droplet-based microfluidics J. Lim , P. Gruner , M. Konrad, J.-C. Baret Lab Chip, 13, 1472-1475 (2013)

Dynamics of molecular transport by surfactants in emulsions Y. Skhiri, P. Gruner, B. Semin, Q. Brosseau, D. Pekin, L. Mazutis, V. Goust, F. Kleinschmidt, A. El Harrak, J.B. Hutchison, E. Mayot, J.-F. Bartolo, A.D. Griffiths, V. Taly, J.-C. Baret Soft Matter 8, 10618-10627 (2012)

Surfactants in droplet-based microfluidics J.-C. Baret Lab Chip 12, 422-433 (2012)

Kinetic aspects of emulsion stabilization by surfactants: a microfluidic analysis J.-C. Baret, F. Kleinschmidt, A. El Harrak, and A. D. Griffiths Langmuir 25, 6088 (2009)