A microfluidic device for investigating crystal nucleation kinetics

We have developed an original setup using microfluidic tools allowing one to produce continuously monodisperse microreactors ($\approx 100$ nL), and to control their temperatures as they flow in the microdevice. With a specific microchannels geometry, we are able to apply large temperature quenches to droplets containing a KNO$_3$ solution (up to 50$^{\circ}$C in 10 s), and then to follow nucleation kinetics at high supersaturations. By measuring the probability of crystal presence in the droplets as a function of time, we estimate the nucleation rate for different supersaturations, and confront our results to the classical nucleation theory.

Philippe Laval, Jean-Baptiste Salmon, Mathieu Joanicot · 2006