Motile Artificial Chromatophores: Light-Triggered Nanoparticles for Microdroplet Locomotion and Color Change
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Publication Date
2019-11-01Journal Title
Advanced Optical Materials
ISSN
2195-1071
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Volume
7
Issue
22
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Salmon, A., Cormier, S., Wang, W., Abell, C., & Baumberg, J. (2019). Motile Artificial Chromatophores: Light-Triggered Nanoparticles for Microdroplet Locomotion and Color Change. Advanced Optical Materials, 7 (22)https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201900951
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles coated with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) shell undergo reversible dis/assembly below and above the critical temperature of 32°C. Loading these particles into microdroplets at high density creates light-driven artificial chromatophores. Triggering the nanoparticle assembly gives dramatic color changes from nanoparticle localization at the base of the droplets, resembling zebrafish melanophores. These reversible chromatophore states can be switched by both bulk and optical heating, explored here in individual microdroplets and in large cm^2 areas of close-packed droplets. Illuminating chromatophores off-center with a tightly focused beam results in droplet locomotion via two separate mechanisms, Marangoni interfacial shear and gas bubble propulsion, depending on optical power.
Sponsorship
ERC
Funder references
European Research Council (320503)
EPSRC (EP/L027151/1)
EPSRC (EP/N016920/1)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) ERC (778616)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201900951
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/295820
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