Magnetic-actuated "capillary container" for versatile three-dimensional fluid interface manipulation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34407930.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abi7498 and PMC identifier 8373135.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Fluid interfaces are omnipresent in nature. Engineering the fluid interface is essential to study interfacial processes for basic research and industrial applications. However, it remains challenging to precisely control the fluid interface because of its fluidity and instability. Here, we proposed a magnetic-actuated "capillary container" to realize three-dimensional (3D) fluid interface creation and programmable dynamic manipulation. By wettability modification, 3D fluid interfaces with predesigned sizes and geometries can be constructed in air, water, and oils. Multiple motion modes were realized by adjusting the container's structure and magnetic field. Besides, we demonstrated its feasibility in various fluids by performing selective fluid collection and chemical reaction manipulations. The container can also be encapsulated with an interfacial gelation reaction. Using this process, diverse free-standing 3D membranes were produced, and the dynamic release of riboflavin (vitamin B<sub>2</sub>) was studied. This versatile capillary container will provide a promising platform for open microfluidics, interfacial chemistry, and biomedical engineering.