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.

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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

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article

Centrifugal Step‐Emulsification Platform for High‐Throughput Emulsion Screening

Aigars Piruska, Wilhelm T. S. Huck, Robert Hołyst, Adam Kowalski
Small Methods
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
article

Centrifugal Step‐Emulsification Platform for High‐Throughput Emulsion Screening

Aigars Piruska, Wilhelm T. S. Huck, Robert Hołyst, Adam Kowalski
article en

Abstract

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.

Small Methods
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)
Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Narodowym Centrum Nauki
Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
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