Microfluidic droplet generation is based on the use of two immiscible phases. They are referred to as
- the continuous phase (oil, medium in which droplets flow) and
- dispersed phase (water, the droplet).
For generating droplets, microfluidic systems generally include a microfluidic chip, a fluid handling system and tubing. This system is usually connected to a computer and a microscope to visualize droplet formation.