Self-Timed and Spatially-Targeted Delivery of Chemical Cargo by Motile Liquid Crystal

A key challenge underlying the design of miniature machines is encoding materials with time- and space-specific functional behaviors that require little human intervention. Dissipative processes that drive materials beyond equilibrium and evolve continuously with time and location represent one promising strategy to achieve such complex functions. Here we report how internal non-equilibrium states of liquid crystal (LC) emulsion droplets undergoing chemotaxis can be used to time the delivery of a chemical agent to a targeted location. During ballistic motion, hydrodynamic shear forces dominate LC elastic interactions, dispersing micodroplet inclusions (microcargo) within double emulsion droplets. Scale-dependent colloidal forces then hinder the escape of dispersed microcargo from the propelling droplet. Upon arrival at the targeted location, a circulatory flow of diminished strength triggers the microcargo to cluster within the LC elastic environment such that hydrodynamic forces grow to exceed colloidal forces and thus trigger the escape of the microcargo. We illustrate the approach by using microcargo that initiate polymerization upon release through the outer interface of the carrier droplet. These findings provide a platform that utilizes non-equilibrium strategies to design autonomous spatial and temporal functions into active materials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.