A team led by Prof. Katherine Villa at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), in collaboration with Prof. Samuel Sánchez’ group at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), has developed a new platform that combines light-driven micromotors with liquid marbles (LM). The study, published in Small, shows that this approach improves micromotor movement and catalytic efficiency under confined conditions.
“This platform enables the study of how dynamic confinement shapes micromotor transport and photocatalytic performance, establishing liquid marbles as promising systems for studying active matter and confined photocatalysis in deformable microenvironments,” said Prof. Villa.
Enhancing propulsion in complex microenvironments
Micromotors are tiny devices that can move autonomously when powered by external energy, with potential uses in environmental cleanup, targeted transport, and microscale chemistry. Yet, studying how they move in realistic, three-dimensional environments is still a challenge.
In this research, the team placed micromotors inside liquid marbles—droplets coated with water-repellent particles that act as miniature, gas-permeable reactors. By adjusting how much of the droplet surface was covered, the scientists created partially covered liquid marbles (PCLMs) that generated internal flows. These flows increased the micromotors’ average speed by almost three times compared to static conditions. When exposed to light, the micromotors gained an extra boost from photocatalytic self-propulsion, further improving their motion and catalytic performance.
What are liquid marbles?
Liquid marbles are droplets surrounded by a layer of hydrophobic particles. This coating makes them stable and gas-permeable while keeping their spherical shape without needing a solid surface. Compared to other systems like vesicles or emulsions, they provide a soft, flexible 3D environment where micromotors can move, interact and perform reactions.
By comparing completely and partially covered marbles, the researchers showed how internal structure affects liquid flow and the micromotors’ behaviour. This strategy opens new ways to explore how small active particles move, cooperate, and perform chemical reactions inside dynamic and deformable microenvironments.
Reference publication
Flow-Active Liquid Marbles as Microreactors for Photocatalytic Micromotors
Martinez, A. J.; Basharat, M.; Chen, S. Q.; Sánchez, S.; Villa, K.
Small 2025, e05439
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202505439
La entrada Scientists integrate micromotors and liquid marbles to study motion in confined spaces se publicó primero en ICIQ.