Capillarity in Interfacial Liquids and Marbles: Mechanisms, Properties, and Applications

Yang Liu, Yuanfeng Wang, John H. Xin (Corresponding Author)

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

Abstract

The mechanics of capillary force in biological systems have critical roles in the formation of the intra- and inter-cellular structures, which may mediate the organization, morphogenesis, and homeostasis of biomolecular condensates. Current techniques may not allow direct and precise measurements of the capillary forces at the intra- and inter-cellular scales. By preserving liquid droplets at the liquid–liquid interface, we have discovered and studied ideal models, i.e., interfacial liquids and marbles, for understanding general capillary mechanics that existed in liquid-in-liquid systems, e.g., biomolecular condensates. The unexpectedly long coalescence time of the interfacial liquids revealed that the Stokes equation does not hold as the radius of the liquid bridge approaches zero, evidencing the existence of a third inertially limited viscous regime. Moreover, liquid transport from a liquid droplet to a liquid reservoir can be prohibited by coating the droplet surface with hydrophobic or amphiphilic particles, forming interfacial liquid marbles. Unique characteristics, including high stability, transparency, gas permeability, and self-assembly, are observed for the interfacial liquid marbles. Phase transition and separation induced by the formation of nanostructured materials can be directly observed within the interfacial liquid marbles without the need for surfactants and agitation, making them useful tools to research the interfacial mechanics.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2986
JournalMolecules
Volume29
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024

Keywords

  • capillarity
  • coalescence cascade
  • liquid marble
  • liquid–liquid interface
  • mass transport
  • microreactor

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Chemistry (miscellaneous)
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Drug Discovery
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Capillarity in Interfacial Liquids and Marbles: Mechanisms, Properties, and Applications'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this