Liquid marbles

Abstract

A liquid marble is a liquid droplet encapsulated in a hydrophobic powder that adheres to the liquid surface. Liquid marbles preparation is very simple – a small amount of liquid is carefully dripped on the layer of hydrophobic powder consisting of nano-or micro particles, which spread spontaneously at the interface liquid/air. This process results in a liquid marble that has some of the properties of a liquid droplet and, at the same time, behaves as a soft solid. Liquid marbles present an alternative to superhydrophobic surfaces because these particles prevent the liquid to wet and contaminate the carrier surface, be it solid or liquid. The present work focuses on the description of basic properties of liquid marbles; also, an overview is given of possible applications of liquid marbles, e.g. for the transport of small volumes of liquids or powders in microfluidics, for the detection of gases or water contamination or as (bio)microreactors.