This article reviews microfluidic devices that can generate highly monodisperse emulsions with precise size control over a wide range. Facile glass capillary microfluidic devices for the preparation of monodisperse emulsions and particles are introduced. In addition, the fabrication of three-dimensional microfluidic devices by stereolithography and preparation of monodisperse double emulsions using these devices are demonstrated.

We developed an emulsion-gelation method. This method involves the synthesis of polymeric hydrogels in an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion by free radical polymerization, followed by the washing (removal) of the dispersed oil as a pore template (porogen). Emulsion gels containing randomly distributed oil microdroplets, and macroporous hydrogels having sphere-like cavities were prepared. Novel emulsion gel adsorbents containing an organic extractant for metal ions were developed for metal adsorption. Novel enzyme-entrapped macroporous gels were developed for enzymatic reaction. W/O emulsion-gelation method and suspension-gelation method were also developed.

We designed and successfully fabricated nano swollen liquid crystal emulsions (NSLCE) by introducing liquid crystal molecules into the core of liquid crystal nano micelles to control the size of the NSLCE. We detected the orientation fluctuation of nematic order in the NSLCE by depolarized dynamic light scattering and found that LC-liquid phase transition nature is strongly modified by the confinement in the NSLCE.