Methods and devices for generating double emulsions
AssigneeUniversity of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
InventorsDaniel T. CHIU, Dingsheng LIU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure describes devices and methods capable of generating multi-phase emulsions, including double emulsion droplets in a gas phase. The present disclosure also describes interfaces for coupling a multi-phase emulsion droplet source to an analytical instrument such as a mass spectrometer. The present disclosure further describes methods, systems, and apparatuses for using the devices and interfaces described to perform analysis, including mass spectrometry. The present disclosure also describes methods, systems, and apparatuses for generating and using multi-phase emulsions to perform analysis.
Claims16
1-52. (canceled)
A method for producing a droplet, the method comprising:
- generating an electric field between a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode is in electrical communication with a first fluid and wherein the second electrode is contacted with a gas;
- flowing the first liquid;
- flowing a second, wherein the second liquid is immiscible with the first liquid;
- contacting the first liquid with the second liquid at a junction;
- generating a discrete partition of the first liquid surrounded at least in part by the second liquid;
- flowing the discrete partition through a droplet emitter, the droplet emitter comprising a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end receives the first fluid and the distal end is contacted with the gas;
- and
- producing a droplet from the distal end of the droplet emitter, wherein the droplet is contacted with the gas, and wherein the droplet and the gas together comprise a double emulsion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.