A method for the manufacture of a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion, which includes a step of adding dropwise an aqueous phase to an oil phase until a catastrophic inversion. Also, a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion, a method for preparing solid microcapsules from a water-in-oil-water double emulsion having oligomers and/or monomers in the oil phase.

A method, comprising: providing a substrate having present thereon a pattern of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions; contacting a polymerizable composition to the substate so as to confer the pattern of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions onto the polymerizable composition; and polymerizing the polymerizable composition. A device, comprising a polymeric substrate, the poly-meric substrate having disposed thereon pattern of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, the polymeric substrate comprising a first component that is comparatively hydrophobic relative to a second component of the composition, and a hydrophobic region of the polymeric substrate being comparatively rich in the first component relative to the second component. A method, comprising using a microfluidic device according to the present disclosure to form an emulsion.