Reconfigurable liquid devices from liquid building blocks
摘要
Liquids are widely applied in the construction of various functional devices due to their abilities to flow, dissolve, deform and phase separate; however, the fabrication of liquid-based devices can be costly and lack reconfigurability due to the need for predesigned solid enclosing walls. Herein we report a strategy to generate and manipulate functional liquid devices by assembling and disassembling different types of liquid droplets like toy building blocks; we also uncover the underlying mechanisms. Multiphase liquid devices with diverse compositions and geometries can be quickly constructed and reconfigured in a pillared substrate, enabling the ability to freely structure liquids and precisely program liquid–liquid interfaces. The applications in fluidic devices, microreactors and their combinations are demonstrated.