We investigate the behaviour of a binary surfactant solution (AOT/water) as it is progressively concentrated in microfluidic evaporators. We observe in time a succession of phase transitions from a dilute solution up to a dense state, which eventually grows and invades the microchannels. Analyzing these observations, we show that, with a few experiments and a limited amount of material, our microdevices permit a semi-quantitative screening of the equilibrium phase diagram as well as a few kinetic observations.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0610876,
title = {Microfluidic Exploration of the Phase Diagram of a Surfactant/Water Binary System},
author = {Jacques Leng and Mathieu Joanicot and Armand Ajdari},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0610876},
year = {2007}
}