(482c) Developing Thermodynamically Stable Core-Shell and Janus Droplets to Co-Encapsulate Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Actives

Active ingredients in personal care industry are usually sensitive to various external factors. We propose to develop thermodynamically stable three-phase droplet to co-encapsulate hydrophilic and hydrophobic actives using microfluidic chips. Owing to the abundant structures of the three-phase droplets, functionality and structural aesthetics are expected to be achieved simultaneously in one system. The thermodynamically stable structures of the selected system are predicted theoretically, presenting as core-shell structure and Janus structure, respectively. The generation process and the behavior of core-shell and Janus droplets are investigated. In our experiments, we observe the particular droplet reorganization as well as the transformation behaviors of the three-phase droplets. The introduction of widened channel allows the transformation of three-phase droplets in the flow state, which is beneficial to obtain the desired structured droplets directly. This work provides an idea for the preparation of complex multiphase droplets, and will hopefully serve as templates for microencapsulation applications in medicine and personal care industry.