Drop Detachment from a Micro‐Engineered Membrane Surface in a Dynamic Membrane Emulsification Process

Drop size distribution is an important characteristic of emulsions, probably the most crucial one for their use in various applications. Here, a pilot‐scale apparatus with a cone‐shaped flow geometry is introduced. The plate contains a micro‐engineered membrane manufactured from silicon allowing for the production of emulsions with narrow drop size distributions. The process is characterized by producing model emulsions of the oil‐in‐water type under laminar rheometric flow conditions and by accessing the regime of drop detachment as a function of the wall shear stress applied, by means of high‐speed imaging in a separate flow cell. Furthermore, clear evidence is given of the crucial influence of the membrane wetting properties on the emulsification results, by comparing the performance of micro‐engineered membranes composed either of silicon, silicon nitride, or nickel, for pore diameters from 1 to 12 μm, in the flow cell.