Optical Control of Emulsion Drops for Nanofluidics and Microfabrication

STFC中央激光设备的突破性发现表明，光学陷阱可以用来控制微米大小的乳化液液滴的形状，产生由比人类头发细一千倍的稳定油丝连接的液滴，并通过这些纳米缝隙将液体从一个液滴输送到另一个液滴。这个项目将探索这些发现背后的科学，并开发未来的应用。首先，我们将开发一个强大的实验和理论框架，用于操纵乳液滴和利用激光创建纳米流体网络。其次，我们将利用这个平台来揭示支配这些纳米分子的结构和动力学的物理和化学原理，并利用这些纳米分子来探索纳米流体网络中的传输物理。第三，可聚合乳液的光学变形将发展为具有复杂三维形状的聚合物物体的微制造技术。这种微粒在医疗器械、药物输送、MEMS、光子材料和离子源等领域具有潜在的应用前景。最后，我们将建立利用这些纳米流体网络在阿托利特尺度上进行化学反应的原则。

Ground-breaking discoveries at the STFC's Central Laser Facility showed that optical traps can be used to control the shape of micron-sized emulsion droplets, to create droplets connected by stable threads of oil a thousand times thinner than a human hair and to pump liquids from one drop to another through these nanothreads. This project will explore the science behind these discoveries and develop prospective applications. First, we will develop a robust experimental and theoretical framework for manipulating emulsion drops and for creating nanofluidic networks with laser beams. Second, we will use this platform to reveal the physical and chemical principles governing the structure and dynamics of these nanothreads and use the nanothreads to explore the physics of transport in nanofluidic networks. Third, optical deformation of polymerisable emulsions will be developed as a technology for microfabrication of polymer objects with complex 3-D shapes. Such microparticles have potential applications in medical devices, drug delivery, MEMS, photonic materials and ion sources. Finally, we will establish the principles for using these nanofluidic networks to carry out chemical reactions on the attolitre scale.