Abstract
We report on self-propelled rotating liquid marbles fabricated using droplets of alcoholic solution encapsulated in hollow microtetrapods of GaN with hydrophilic free ends of their arms and hydrophobic lateral walls. Apart from stationary rotation, elongated-spheroid-like liquid marbles were found, for the first time, to exhibit pulsed rotation on water surfaces characterized by a threshold speed of rotation, which increased with the weight of the liquid marble while the frequency of pulses proved to decrease. To throw light upon the unusual behavior of the developed self-propelled liquid marbles, we propose a model which takes into account skimming of the liquid marbles over the water surface similar to that inherent to flying water lily beetle and the so-called helicopter effect, causing a liquid marble to rise above the level of the water surface when rotating.
Highlights
Published: 6 September 2021Liquid marbles, discovered by Aussillous and Quéré in 2001 [1], represent aggregates composed of a droplet of liquid encased in and stabilized by a shell of nano- and/or microparticles which, in most cases, possess hydrophobic properties
We report in premiere on self-propelled aero-GaN liquid marbles exhibiting pulsed rotation on the water surface
Self-propelled elongated spheroid-like liquid marbles were found for the first time to exhibit pulsed rotation
Summary
Liquid marbles, discovered by Aussillous and Quéré in 2001 [1], represent aggregates composed of a droplet of liquid encased in and stabilized by a shell of nano- and/or microparticles which, in most cases, possess hydrophobic properties. Known as “dry waters”, demonstrated huge potential for use in microfluidics for controlled transport and release of the small quantities of liquids as well as in sensorics [3,4], microrobotics [5,6], biomedicine [7,8], etc. Han et al [9,10] reported on precise control over mass transportation and distribution in the droplet of the liquid marbles synchronously rotating with an external magnetic field, opening opportunities for the development of various micromagneto-mechanical devices for use in microfluidics.
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