Centrifugal Step‐Emulsification Platform for High‐Throughput Emulsion Screening
A centrifugal emulsification platform enabling the parallel generation of emulsions directly in standard 96-well plates is introduced. Upon centrifugation, the dispersed phase is driven through capillaries into the continuous phase, where step emulsification yields droplets by clean pinch-off. The system achieves high reproducibility, with success rates above 90%. The platform's utility is demonstrated by screening silicone-oil/water emulsions across siloxane surfactants and NaCl gradients, and by mapping fluorinated emulsion stability as a function of salinity and the mixing ratio of two fluorinated surfactants of different chain lengths. In contrast to lab-on-a-disc systems or single-tube centrifugal devices, this approach combines minimal hardware requirements with high throughput and seamless compatibility with automated liquid-handling and imaging workflows. Its simplicity and scalability make it suited for closed-loop optimization, accelerating the discovery of sustainable non-fluorinated droplet systems and enabling systematic studies of emulsion stability across diverse formulation spaces.
Authors
- Aigars Piruska
- Wilhelm T. S. Huck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4222-5411)
- Robert Hołyst (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3211-4286)
- Adam Kowalski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0172-2622)
Institutions
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Radboud University Medical Center (NL)
- Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (NL)
- Institute of Physical Chemistry (PL)
- Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small Methods
- Published
- 2026-08-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.70983
- Primary Topic
- Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap
- Narodowym Centrum Nauki