Microfluidics: Polymer Microparticles with Controllable Surface Textures Generated through Interfacial Instabilities of Emulsion Droplets (Adv. Funct. Mater. 8/2012)

The topographies of particles can significantly affect their chemical and physical properties. On page 1692, Jintao Zhu and co-workers present a facile, yet versatile approach to generate convoluted polymer microparticles through interfacial instabilities of emulsion droplets. Due to the adsorption of surfactant and co-surfactant to the interface, the organic/water interfacial area can spontaneously increase by folding or deforming of the interface, ultimately yielding highly variegated particles.