6. Conclusion

Controlling crystallization processes is a crucial issue in many fields, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and structural biology. The aim is to obtain crystallization conditions that lead to homogeneous populations of crystals with the desired properties. This requires a better understanding of crystal nucleation and growth kinetics in complex media.

Since recent developments in their fabrication methods, microfluidic droplet tools have opened up great possibilities for obtaining local data on crystallization processes. These devices enable precise control of temperature, concentration and reagent mixing. They offer modular geometries, allowing a large number of drops to be circulated or stored. It is then possible to induce controlled conditions of supersaturation in the drops and observe the appearance of crystals as a function of time. These observations,...