Assembly and rearrangement of particles confined at a surface of a droplet, and intruder motion in electro-shaken particle films

Abstract

Manipulation of particles at the surface of a droplet can lead to the formation of structures with heterogeneous surfaces, including patchy colloidal capsules or patchy particles. Here, we study the assembly and rearrangement of microparticles confined at the surface of oil droplets. These processes are driven by electric-field-induced hydrodynamic flows and by 'electro-shaking' the colloidal particles. We also investigate the motion of an intruder particle in the particle film and present the possibility of segregating the surface particles. The results are expected to be relevant for understanding the mechanism for particle segregation and, eventually, lead to the formation of new patchy structures.