Scientific Achievement

  • Researchers in the Structured Liquids program uncovered coupled oscillatory behavior of gold-nanoparticle-surfactant-laden aqueous droplets at an oil–oil interface that cause droplet bouncing and clustering

Significance and Impact

  • Light-induced asymmetric thermal gradients produced thermocapillary flows causing collective droplet movement
  • Insights into light-driven soft robotics, and microfluidics

Research Details

  • Au-NPS-ladened aqueous droplets placed at an oil-oil interface
  • Droplet exposed to a focused laser beam
  • Droplet motions were captured photographically

Publication Details

S. Jiang, S. Zhu, P. Y. Kim, Z. Fink, Z. Yang, P. Li, Z. Chu, T. P. Russell, and G.. Xie, Advanced Materials (2026).

DOI: 10.1002/adma.202514793

Work was performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.