Application of Optical Tweezers in the Study of Emulsions for Multiple Applications

TL;DR

This review discusses how optical tweezers are used to study emulsion stability, dynamics, and responsive behaviors, highlighting recent advances, experimental methods, and future research directions in this field.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of optical tweezers applications in emulsion research, including instrumentation, manipulation techniques, and emerging research trends.

Findings

Optical tweezers effectively manipulate and analyze emulsion stability.

Instrumentation complexity varies, affecting accessibility.

Future studies focus on responsive and functional emulsions.

Abstract

Emulsions are ubiquitous in everyday life and find applications in various industries. Optical tweezers (OTs) have emerged as the preferred method for studying emulsion dynamics. In this review, we first introduce the theory of optical trapping and emulsion stability. We then survey applications in the manipulation of emulsions, stability mechanism, the processes of aggregation and coalescence, and important responsive and switchable behaviors. And we overview the instrumentation framework of various OT setups, and evaluate their complexity and cost with a view towards the democratization of this technology. Following this, we delve into basic experimentation methods, the challenges associated with using OTs in emulsion applications. Additionally, we present a promising research outlook, including studies on stability mechanism of emulsions stabilized by compound or mixed emulsifiers or rigid or soft particles, as well as dynamic processes of responsive or functional emulsions.