Production of Monodisperse\nLarge Drop Emulsions by\nMeans of High Internal Phase Pickering EmulsionsProcessing\nand Formulation

High internal phase\nPickering emulsions (HIPPE) have received significant\nresearch attention in the last two decades due to their potential\nfor a wide range of applications. The appropriate processing of such\nhigh-viscosity emulsions, hundreds of times more viscous than that\nof the continuous phase, and the control of the final droplet size\nremain challenges to be tackled. Our research targeted this knowledge\ngap by examining the influence of the emulsion formulation and the\nprocessing conditions on the final droplet size. The dispersed phase\nfraction (100 cSt silicon oil) ranged between 75 and 80%. The emulsions\nwere produced in a regular mixing tank equipped with a helical ribbon\nimpeller rotating at a low speed (100–150 rpm). The effective\nviscosity of the continuous phase was obtained from the experimental\ntorque measurements. The droplet size distributions were measured\nafter emulsification and dilution in the continuous phases. It is\nshown that the capillary number obtained from the observed emulsification\nperformance can help predict the final droplet size. Our approach\nprovides a straightforward methodology to generate concentrated Pickering\nemulsions with controlled and predictable droplet size.