A simple way to make and reconfigure complex emulsions
MIT researchers have devised a new way to make complex liquid mixtures, known as emulsions, that could have many applications in drug delivery, sensing, cleaning up pollutants, and performing chemical reactions. Many drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, and lotions are emulsions, in which tiny droplets of one liquid are suspended in another liquid. A salad dressing of vinegar and olive oil is another example of a simple emulsion. Scientists can also create more complex emulsions, such as double emulsions — for example, water suspended inside oil droplets suspended in water. In the new paper, the MIT team developed a simple way to make such emulsions. They can also finely tune the configuration of droplets by adding different chemicals or exposing them to light or to different acidity levels. This kind of control over the dynamic properties of emulsions could make it easier for scientists to tailor them to specific applications. The new method also enables...