Use of vibration technology for jet break-up for encapsulation of cells, microbes and liquids in monodisperse microcapsules

Adding a vibration on a laminar jet for controlled break-up into monodisperse microcapsules is one among different extrusion technologies for encapsulation of cells, microbes, yeast, enzymes and liquids (Poncelet, 1997). The vibration technology is based on the principle that a laminar liquid jet breaks up into equally sized droplets by a superimposed vibration. In the late 19th century, Lord Rayleigh theoretically analysed the instability of liquid jets (Rayleigh, 1878). He showed that the frequency for maximum instability is related to the velocity of the jet and the nozzle diameter. The optimal vibration parameters are easily and quickly determined in the light of a stroboscope. Once determined, the parameters can be reset in the future, making the process highly reproducible. In this presentation we will show optimal production parameters for beads and capsules including monodispersity parameter for narrow size distributions, we will provide examples of encapsulation of animal cells and organic liquids in microcapsules and analyse the prerequisites for scale-up strategies of the vibration jet break-up technology.