Complex emulsions, such as spheres of oil and water nested inside each other, can be assembled in one step using a simple device, report Chang-Soo Lee at Chungnam National University in Daejeon, South Korea, and his colleagues.

Credit: CHANG-SOO LEE

The authors dispersed a water-based solution into a tiny chamber that opened into an oil-filled microchannel. This microfludic device caused the droplets to form double, triple and even quadruple (pictured) emulsions, depending on the concentration of the solvent. By adding detergent, the researchers could create even more conformations.

These emulsions could be used to make functional materials, such as multichambered drug capsules, the authors say.

Adv. Mater. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adma.201204657 (2013)