Directional and path-finding motion of polymer hydrogels driven by liquid mixing.

The spreading of a miscible liquid with a low surface tension on a water surface generates the directional motion of submerged polymer hydrogels, which could be attributed to convective flows resulting from the gradient of surface tension along the surface (Marangoni effect). The direction and velocity of this motion can be well controlled by altering the driving conditions. Furthermore, a spherical hydrogel can smartly find the path to walk through a microfluidic maze when liquid mixing occurs near the maze exit. This convenient chemical driving approach to transporting submerged objects in a desired way may be useful in microfluidics, micromechanics, and other applications.

• Publication year

  2012

• Venue

  Langmuir

• Publication date

  2012-07-26

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Materials Science, Chemistry, Engineering

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1021/la301972rPMID 22827257
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Hydrogen-bubble-propelled zinc-based microrockets in strongly acidic media.

  2012cited by this paper
• Spontaneous mode-selection in the self-propelled motion of a solid/liquid composite driven by interfacial instability.

  2011cited by this paper
• Microbots swimming in the flowing streams of microfluidic channels.

  2011cited by this paper
• Maze solving by chemotactic droplets.

  2010cited by this paper
• Solvent driven motion of lithographically fabricated gels.

  2008cited by this paper
• Virtual microfluidic traps, filters, channels and pumps using Marangoni flows

  2008cited by this paper
• Motion and dissolution of drops of sparingly soluble alcohols on water.

  2008cited by this paper
• Propulsion of microboats using isopropyl alcohol as a propellant

  2008cited by this paper
• Liquid mixing driven motions of floating macroscopic objects

  2007cited by this paper
• Fatty acid chemistry at the oil-water interface: self-propelled oil droplets.

  2007cited by this paper
• Chemical locomotion.

  2006cited by this paper
• Marangoni instability and spontaneous non-linear oscillations produced at liquid interfaces by surfactant transfer.

  2006cited by this paper
• Self-running droplet: emergence of regular motion from nonequilibrium noise.

  2004cited by this paper
• Glow discharge in microfluidic chips for visible analog computing.

  2002cited by this paper
• Maze-solving by an amoeboid organism

  2000cited by this paper
• Controlled Motion of Solvent-Driven Gel Motor and Its Application as a Generator

  2000cited by this paper
• Solvent-driven chemical motor

  1998cited by this paper
• Motion of Polymer Gels by Spreading Organic Fluid on Water

  1996cited by this paper
• Surface Tension of Alcohol Water + Water from 20 to 50 .degree.C

  1995cited by this paper
• Navigating Complex Labyrinths: Optimal Paths from Chemical Waves

  1995cited by this paper
• The spreading of liquids on liquids

  1970cited by this paper
• A steady dissolving drop method for studying the pure Marangoni effect

  1970cited by this paper
• Some experiments on the Marangoni effect

  1967cited by this paper
• The Marangoni Effects

  1960cited by this paper
• Technological Education in Great Britain

  1951cited by this paper
• FILMS. THE SPREADING OF LIQUIDS AND THE SPREADING COEFFICIENT

  1922cited by this paper

• Advances and Challenges of Hydrogel Materials for Robotic and Sensing Applications

  2022cites this paper
• Engineered Bacteria Computationally Solve Chemically Generated 2X2 Maze Problems

  2021cites this paper
• Hydrogel‐Based Motors

  2021cites this paper
• Study on the regulation of polythiophene whiskers by electric field induction and the anisotropy of the film surface

  2021cites this paper
• Self‐Propelling Hybrid Gels Incorporating an Active Self‐Assembled, Low‐Molecular‐Weight Gelator

  2021cites this paper
• 3D printed self-propelled composite floaters

  2021cites this paper
• Soap opera in the maze: Geometry matters in Marangoni flows

  2018cites this paper
• Kinetic Insights into Marangoni Effect-Assisted Preparation of Ultrathin Hydrogel Films.

  2018cites this paper
• Video: Soap opera in the maze: Geometry matters in Marangoni flows

  2017cites this paper
• Marangoni Effect-Driven Motion of Miniature Robots and Generation of Electricity on Water.

  2017cites this paper
• Self-Propelling Hydrogel/Emulsion-Hydrogel Soft Motors for Water Purification.

  2016cites this paper
• Peptide Assembly‐Driven Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) Motors for Micro Electric Generators

  2015cites this paper
• Maze solving using temperature-induced Marangoni flow

  2015cites this paper
• Peptide-Metal Organic Framework Swimmers that Direct the Motion toward Chemical Targets.

  2015cites this paper
• Bioinspired Materials: from Low to High Dimensional Structure

  2014cites this paper
• Self-propulsion on liquid surfaces

  2014cites this paper
• Maze solving using fatty acid chemistry.

  2014cites this paper
• Depolymerization-powered autonomous motors using biocompatible fuel.

  2013cites this paper
• The Propulsion of a Miniature Device by Organic Fluid Jetflow through Polymer Submicron Tubes

  2013cites this paper
• Easy Demonstration of the Marangoni Effect by Prolonged and Directional Motion: “Soap Boat 2.0”

  2013cites this paper