An apparatus and method for preparing nanoemulsions from an oil phase and an aqueous phase, wherein the oil phase can be essential oils, such as damask rose essential oil. The apparatus includes a homogenization unit having a homogenization tank and a sonication unit comprising a sonication tank. The dispersion of oil phase and aqueous phase is passed between the homogenization unit and sonication unit multiple times to prepare the nanoemulsion.

A method of forming a plurality of lipid bilayers over an array of cells in a nanopore based sequencing chip is disclosed. Each of the cells comprises a well. A first salt buffer solution with a first osmolarity is flowed over a cell in the nanopore based sequencing chip to substantially fill a well in the cell with the first salt buffer solution. A lipid and solvent mixture is flowed over the cell to deposit a lipid membrane over the well that encloses the first salt buffer solution in the well. A second salt buffer solution with a second osmolarity is flowed above the well to reduce the thickness of the lipid membrane, wherein the second osmolarity is a lower osmolarity than the first osmolarity such that an osmotic imbalance is created between a first volume inside the well and a second volume outside the well.