Summary: 364 nature materials | VOL 8 | MAY 2009 | www.nature.com/naturematerials
research highlights
marbles lost
J. Am. Chem. Soc. doi:10.1021/ja901641v (2009)
`Liquid marbles' are droplets of water,
stabilized by a layer of highly hydrophobic
particles at the air­water interface, which
can be rolled and even bounced. Dupin and
co-workers introduce an extra dimension
to these fascinating materials, by creating
stimulus-responsive liquid marbles. The
team stabilize their water droplets with
polystyrene latex nanoparticles that have
a poly(tertiary amine methacrylate)
macromonomer outer layer. At low pH,
this outer layer is protonated, making it
hydrophilic, so the latex nanoparticles
disperse in aqueous solution and no marbles
can be made. However, under alkaline
conditions the outer macromonomer is

Source: Adeyeye, Adekunle - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore

Collections: Physics; Materials Science