Multifunctional liquid marbles to stabilize and transport reactive fluids

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on the Dynamic Response of Ferrofluid Liquid Marbles to Steady and Pulsating Magnetic Fields

Liquid marbles are droplets enwrapped by a layer of hydrophobic micro/nanoparticles. Due to the isolation of fluid from its environment, reduction in evaporation rate, low friction with the surfaces, and capability of manipulation even on hydrophilic surfaces, liquid marbles have attracted the attention of researchers in digital microfluidics. This study investigates the manipulation of ferrofluid liquid marbles (FLMs) under DC and pulse width-modulated (PWM) magnetic fields generated by an electromagnet for the first time. At first, the threshold of the magnetic field for manipulating these FLMs is studied. Afterward, the dynamic response of the FLMs to the DC magnetic field for different FLM volumes, coil currents, and initial distances of FLM from the coil is studied, and a theoretical model is proposed. By applying the PWM magnetic field, it is possible to gain more control over the manipulation of the FLMs on the surface and adjust their position more accurately. Results indicate that with a decrease in FLM volume, coil current, and duty cycle, the FLM step length decreases; hence, FLM manipulation is more precise. Under the PWM magnetic field, it is observed that FLM movement is not synchronous with the generated pulse, and even after the coil is turned off, FLMs keep their motion. In the end, with proper adjustment of the electromagnet pulse width, launching of FLMs at a distance farther than the coil is observed.

Droplet-Impact Driven Formation of Ultralow Volume Liquid Marbles with Enhanced Mechanical Stability and Sensing Ability

Liquid marbles (LMs), droplets encapsulated with micro/nanoparticles, have attracted significant attention owing to their potential applications in various fields, ranging from microbioreactors to sensors. The volume of the LMs is a key parameter determining their mechanical stability and gas sensing ability. It is ideal to work with small volumes because of their better mechanical stability and gas sensing power compared to the larger LMs. Though many methods exist for producing LMs in the volume range above 2 μL, no reliable method exists to prepare fully coated submicroliter LMs with tunable volume. The situation becomes even more difficult when one attempts to produce tiny Janus Liquid Marbles (JLMs). This paper presents a simple, single-step, and efficient strategy for obtaining both the pristine LMs and JLMs in the volume range 200 nL to 18 μL. The core idea relies on the impact of a liquid drop on a particle bed at a Weber number of ∼55 to produce two daughter droplets and to convert these droplets into LMs/JLMs. The whole process takes only a few tens of milliseconds (∼50 ms). We have rendered the experimental schemes so that both the JLMs and pristine LMs can be produced in a single step, with control over their volume. The mechanical stability analysis of the prepared marbles indicates that 200 nL is 5 times more stable than 10 μL of LMs. The 0.72 μL LMs prepared with a 0.5 v/v % phenolphthalein indicator solution showed 3 times faster response time to ammonia gas sensing than 10 μL of LMs. The results presented in this work open up a new route for the rapid and reliable production of both multilayered LMs and JLMs with tunable volume in a wide range (200 nL to 18 μL).

Droplet Rolling Dynamics over a Hydrophobic Surface with a Minute Width Channel

Unidirectional and stabilize droplet rolling over hydrophobic surfaces is critical for self-cleaning applications of large areas. Introducing minute size channels on hydrophobic surfaces in the droplet rolling direction can minimize droplet wobbling and enables unidirectional rolling. The droplet rolling behavior over an inclined hydrophobic surface having a minute size channel is investigated. The flow field developed inside the droplet fluid is numerically simulated in a three-dimensional domain pertinent to experimental conditions. Experiments are carried out using a high-speed facility to monitor and evaluate droplet motion over channeled and flat hydrophobic surfaces. The findings revealed that predictions of the droplet translational velocity and those obtained from the experiments are in good agreement. The presence of a minute channel on the hydrophobic surface gives rise to droplet fluid inflection into the minute channel, which in turn modifies the center of mass of the droplet during rolling. This lowers the droplet wobbling height and enables the droplet to roll unidirectionally along the channel length. Enlarging the channel width on the hydrophobic surface increases droplet kinetic energy dissipation while reducing the droplet rolling speed. The complex flow structures formed in the droplet fluid modifies the pressure along the droplet centerline; however, the droplet fluid pressure remains almost the same order as the Laplace pressure in the upper region of a rolling droplet over the channeled hydrophobic surface.