Effect of force interactions in an oscillatory membrane emulsification system

Membrane emulsification is an emerging energy efficient and scalable technique. In this work, the effects of hydrodynamic and colloidal forces interaction on protein stabilized emulsion prepared using an oscillatory membrane emulsification is studied. Increasing oscillation intensities resulted in smaller and more uniform droplet size distribution while different size aggregates occurred due to collision. The small size aggregates were stable against surface erosion while larger sizes were stable only at low oscillation intensities. The measured droplets sizes closely agreed with a torque balance model prediction indicating limited coalescence likely due to the stability of the protein molecules attachment to the droplet surfaces which provided steric hindrance against coalescence and breakage.