Abstract
-
The use of phototaxis to move droplets in liquids offers
the opportunity to emulate natural processes such as the controlled
transport of materials in fluidic environments and to undertake
chemistry at specific locations. We have developed a photoactive
organic droplet, whose movement in aqueous solution is driven by a
photoinitiator, as a result of a light-induced reaction within the droplet
generating a Marangoni flow. The photoinitiator not only drives the
droplet motion but can also be used to initiate polymerization following
transfer of the droplet to a specific location and its merging with a
monomer-containing droplet. The same light is used to control the
transport of the droplet and the polymerization. The efficacy of this droplet transport and reactor system has been demonstrated
by the site-specific underwater polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide to repair a leaking vessel and the adhesion of two
materials together.