Issue 6, 2024

Photo-controllable azobenzene microdroplets on an open surface and their application as transporters

Abstract

The control of droplet motion is a significant challenge, as there has been no simple method for effective manipulation. Utilizing light for the control of droplets offers a promising solution due to its non-contact nature and high degree of controllability. In this study, we present our findings on the translational motion of pre-photomelted droplets composed of azobenzene derivatives on a glass surface when exposed to UV and visible light sources from different directions. These droplets exhibited directional and continuous motion upon light irradiation and this motion was size-dependent. Only droplets with diameters less than 10 μm moved with a maximum velocity of 300 μm min−1. In addition, the direction of the movement was controllable by the direction of the light. The motion is driven by a change in contact angle, where UV or visible light switched the contact angle to approximately 50° or 35°, respectively. In addition, these droplets were also found to be capable carriers for fluorescent quantum dots. As such, droplets composed of photoresponsive molecules offer unique opportunities for designing novel light-driven open-surface microfluidic systems.

Graphical abstract: Photo-controllable azobenzene microdroplets on an open surface and their application as transporters

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstMH

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
24 Okt. 2023
Accepted
02 Janv. 2024
First published
04 Janv. 2024

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 1495-1501

Photo-controllable azobenzene microdroplets on an open surface and their application as transporters

Y. Norikane, M. Ohnuma, D. Kwaria, Y. Kikkawa, T. Ohzono, T. Mizokuro, K. Abe, K. Manabe and K. Saito, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 1495 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH01774E

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