Liquid marble processing device, sensing system, and liquid marble processing method

Abstract

To provide a new technique for facilitating the handling of a liquid marble.SOLUTION: A liquid marble treatment apparatus for treating liquid marbles including liquid droplets and particles surrounding the liquid droplets, comprising: a holding unit configured to hold the liquid marbles; and a temperature control unit configured to change a relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marbles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid marble processing device, a sensing system, and a liquid marble processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Liquid marbles are spherical bodies formed by a large number of solid particles surrounding a liquid droplet. The droplets surrounded by solid particles can maintain their spherical shape while avoiding direct contact with the surrounding environment. Liquid marbles are expected to have a variety of applications, such as encapsulating drugs in the droplets for drug delivery, or using the droplets as a reaction field to efficiently promote chemical reactions. For this reason, technological development related to liquid marbles has become active in recent years (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-027274 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new technology that makes it easier to handle liquid marble. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] After extensive research, the inventors discovered that the behavior of liquid marble can be easily controlled by temperature control. Based on this finding, the inventors developed a method for making liquid marble easier to handle, thereby completing the present invention.

[0006] The present invention may include the following aspects. [1] A liquid marble processing device for processing liquid marbles including droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, a holder for holding the liquid marble; a temperature control unit that changes the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble; A liquid marble processing device comprising: [2] In response to the temperature control unit changing the relative temperature, the adhesive force of the liquid marble to the holder changes. [1] The liquid marble processing device according to the present invention. [3] When the temperature control unit changes the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holding unit is lower than the temperature of the liquid marbles, the liquid marbles are adsorbed to the holding unit. [1] or [2]. The liquid marble processing device. [4] When the temperature control unit changes the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holding unit is equal to or higher than the temperature of the liquid marbles, the liquid marbles that have been adsorbed to the holding unit are released from the holding unit. [3] The liquid marble processing device according to [3]. [5] The holding unit is configured to pick up the liquid marble by adsorbing the liquid marble onto its surface. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1] to [4]. [6] The particles are hydrophobic; The holding portion has a hydrophobic surface and holds the liquid marbles on the hydrophobic surface. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1] to [5]. [7] The holding part has a surface on which a hydrophobic uneven structure is formed. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1] to [6]. [8] The temperature control unit changes the temperature of the holding unit. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1] to [7]. [9] The temperature control unit includes an element that changes the temperature of the holding unit in response to an electrical signal. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1] to [8].

[10] The holding portion has a surface that has affinity for the droplet, The temperature control unit disintegrates the liquid marble by changing the relative temperature. [1], [8], and [9]. The liquid marble processing device according to any one of [1], [8], and [9].

[11]

[10] The liquid marble processing device according to a sensor for sensing the liquid marbles disintegrated by the liquid marble processing device; A sensing system comprising:

[12] A liquid marble processing method for processing liquid marbles including droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, comprising: bringing the liquid marble into contact with a holder that holds the liquid marble; changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble; A liquid marble processing method comprising:

[13] The step of changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marbles results in a change in the adhesive force of the liquid marbles to the holding unit.

[12] The liquid marble processing method according to

[12] .

[14] The holding portion has a surface that has affinity for the droplet, the step of changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble causes the liquid marble to disintegrate.

[12] The liquid marble processing method according to

[12] . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid marble processing device, a sensing system, and a liquid marble processing method that make it easy to handle liquid marble. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1A] Schematic diagram showing the assumed mechanism of adsorption of Liquid Marble. [Figure 1B] Schematic diagram showing the assumed mechanism of adsorption of Liquid Marble. [Figure 1C] Schematic diagram showing the assumed mechanism of adsorption of Liquid Marble. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing the speculated mechanism of Liquid Marble collapse. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a liquid marble handling device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4A] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 4B] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 4C] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 4D] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 4E] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 4F] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a liquid marble handling device according to a modified embodiment. [Figure 6A] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device having an uneven structure on the holding surface. [Figure 6B] Schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid marble handling operation using a handling device having an uneven structure on the holding surface. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a sensing system including a liquid marble disintegration device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The following describes the liquid marble processing device, sensing system, and liquid marble processing method according to the embodiments. Note that the following embodiments illustrate one aspect of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The various configurations and features of the embodiments can be combined in any manner.

[0010] In this specification, when a surface is said to "have affinity" for a specific liquid component, it means that the contact angle between the surface and the liquid component is less than 90 degrees. Conversely, when a surface is said to "not have affinity," it means that the contact angle is 90 degrees or more. More specifically, when a surface is said to "have hydrophilicity" or "not have hydrophobicity," it means that the contact angle between the surface and water is less than 90 degrees. Conversely, when a surface is said to "not have hydrophilicity" or "have hydrophobicity," it means that the contact angle is 90 degrees or more.

[0011] <1. Presumed mechanism> The mechanism that the present inventors have predicted from the experimental results will be explained below, but these are only speculations and the present invention is not bound by these theories.

[0012] <1-1. Liquid Marble Adsorption Mechanism> First, the adsorption action of Liquid Marble discovered by the present inventors will be explained. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing a presumed mechanism regarding the adsorption of liquid marble.

[0013] 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a liquid marble 10 placed on a support 20. The liquid marble 10 has a core-shell structure of droplet 12 / hydrophobic particles 14, in which a droplet 12 is surrounded by a number of hydrophobic particles 14. The droplet 12 is confined within the space surrounded by the hydrophobic particles 14. However, the droplet 12 is not completely isolated from the external environment, but communicates with the outside through the gaps between the hydrophobic particles 14.

[0014] When a liquid marble 10 is placed on a support 20 with a hydrophobic surface, a void 16 is formed surrounded by the droplet 12, hydrophobic particles 14, and support 20, as shown in Figure 1A. In this state, the droplet 12 and support 20 are separated by the void 16, and only the very weak intermolecular forces acting between the hydrophobic particles 14 and support 20 act between the liquid marble 10 and support 20. As a result, the adhesive force of the liquid marble 10 to the support 20 is very weak.

[0015] Here, as the substrate cools, some of the voids 16 are filled with the liquid component of the droplet 12, as shown in Fig. 1B. Eventually, all or most of the voids 16 existing between the droplet 12 and the support base 20 are filled with the liquid component, as shown in Fig. 1C.

[0016] The reason why droplets 12 grow and fill void 16 in this way is thought to be due to a mechanism in which a decrease in the relative temperature of support 20 with respect to liquid marble 10 promotes the formation of small droplets within void 16. Specifically, it is speculated that the temperature gradient in void 16 promotes the condensation of moisture in the air in void 16 or liquid components (e.g., water) evaporated from droplets 12, causing small droplet nuclei to form within void 16 and these nuclei grow. It is also believed that the greater the temperature difference between liquid marble 10 and support 20, the greater the condensation rate in void 16. If the liquid in droplets 12 is non-volatile, the condensation of the liquid components may occur primarily from condensable gases in the surrounding atmosphere.

[0017] When the void 16 is filled with the liquid component, as shown in FIG. 1C, a liquid bridge 18 is formed between the droplet 12 and the support 20 shown in FIG. 1A. The liquid bridge 18 formed between the hydrophobic particles 14 bonds the droplet 12 to the support 20. As a result, the liquid marble 10 adheres to the support 20. The reason why the liquid bridge 18 strongly adheres the liquid marble 10 to the support 20 is thought to be due to capillary action. The void 16 where the bridge 18 is formed is a very narrow space surrounded by multiple hydrophobic particles 14, so it is presumed to function as a capillary. The bridge 18 formed in this capillary is thought to strongly bond the droplet 12 to the support 20 through capillary action. However, the mechanism that the adhesive force is due to capillary action is merely speculation, and other mechanisms are not excluded.

[0018] On the other hand, if the support base 20 is heated from the state shown in Figure 1C, the liquid component that had solidified will be vaporized. When the support base 20 is heated sufficiently, the liquid component filling the voids 16 will evaporate, regenerating the voids 16 shown in Figure 1A, and the strong adhesive force between the liquid marble 10 and the support base 20 will be lost. This will release the liquid marble 10 from the support base 20.

[0019] If there is no temperature difference between the liquid marble 10 and the support base 20, the condensation in the gap 16 as described above will not be promoted, and the liquid component bridge 18 will not form. As a result, the adhesive force of the liquid marble 10 to the support base 20 will not increase, and the state shown in Figure 1A will remain.

[0020] <1-2. Liquid Marble Collapse Mechanism> The above explanation assumes that the surface of the support base 20 does not have a strong affinity for the liquid components that make up the droplets 12. In contrast, if the surface of the support base 20 does have an affinity for the liquid components that make up the droplets 12, the liquid marble 10 may collapse (typically when the surface of the support base 20 is hydrophilic. In the following explanation, we will assume that the surface of the support base 20 is hydrophilic). Here, the "collapse" of the liquid marble 10 means that the droplets 12 that were confined in the space surrounded by the hydrophobic particles 14 spill out and the liquid marble 10 can no longer maintain the core-shell structure of the droplets 12 / hydrophobic particles 14.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the presumed mechanism of the collapse of the liquid marble 10. Note that this mechanism is common to Figures 1A and 1B, so the same diagram will be used for the explanation. When a liquid marble 10 is placed on a support 20 with a hydrophilic surface, droplets 12, hydrophobic particles 14, and voids 16 surrounded by the support 20 are formed, as shown in FIG. 1A. When the support 20 is cooled, condensation occurs due to the temperature difference. As shown in FIG. 1B, some of the voids 16 are filled with liquid components, forming bridges 18. Because the surface of the support 20 has an affinity for the liquid components, the liquid components that make up the droplets 12 spread along the bridges 18 onto the support 20, causing the liquid marble 10 to collapse, as shown in FIG. 2. In this way, by creating a temperature difference between the liquid marble 10 and the support 20, the liquid marble 10 collapses, allowing the droplets 12 surrounded by the hydrophobic particles 14 to be extracted.

[0022] As described above, the inventors have discovered that by adjusting the relative temperatures of the liquid marble 10 and the support base 20, it is possible to control the strength of the adhesive force of the liquid marble 10 to the support base 20 and to disintegrate the liquid marble 10. By applying this technology, the inventors have invented the liquid marble processing device, sensing system, and liquid marble processing method described below.

[0023] <2. Liquid marble processing equipment> The liquid marble processing device of this embodiment is a liquid marble processing device for processing liquid marbles containing droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, and is equipped with a holding unit that holds the liquid marbles and a temperature control unit that changes the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marbles.

[0024] A "treatment" of liquid marble refers to any chemical or physical treatment that changes the chemical or physical state of the liquid marble. The following discussion will primarily focus on, but not be limited to, treatments that change the adsorption power of the liquid marble and treatments that break down the liquid marble, as described above.

[0025] The "holding unit" is any member that supports the liquid marbles. The support base 20 and the holding units 110, 210, and 310 described below are all examples of the "holding unit."

[0026] "Changing the relative temperature" means changing the temperature difference between two elements (here, the holding unit and the liquid marbles). For example, the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marbles can be changed by increasing or decreasing the temperature of the holding unit while maintaining the temperature of the liquid marbles, or by increasing or decreasing the temperature of the liquid marbles while maintaining the temperature of the holding unit. Alternatively, even if the temperatures of both the holding unit and the liquid marbles are changed, a change in the relative temperature can be achieved if the temperature difference between the holding unit and the liquid marbles changes. For example, the temperature control unit 120 can change the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marbles so that the temperature of the holding unit is lower than the temperature of the liquid marbles. The temperature control unit 120 can also change the relative temperature between the liquid marbles 10 and the holding unit 110 so that the temperature of the holding unit 110 is equal to or higher than the temperature of the liquid marbles 10.

[0027] As described in <1-1> above, the adhesive force of the liquid marble to the holder can change in response to the temperature control unit changing the relative temperature between the holder and the liquid marble. For example, the liquid marble can be attached to the holder in response to the temperature control unit changing the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holder is lower than the temperature of the liquid marble. Also, the liquid marble that was attached to the holder can be released from the holder in response to the temperature control unit changing the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holder is equal to or higher than the temperature of the liquid marble.

[0028] <2-1. Liquid Marble> The size and shape of the liquid marbles 10 are not particularly limited, nor are the materials, sizes, and shapes of the droplets 12 and hydrophobic particles 14. For example, the liquid marbles 10 may be artificially produced, or may be natural products such as liquid marbles produced by aphids (honeydew surrounded by fibrous wax), or processed versions of such natural products. The size of the liquid marbles 10 may be, for example, from 0.1 μm to 5 cm, or from 1 mm to 1 cm.

[0029] The droplets 12 may be, for example, water, alcohol, a culture medium, an organic solvent, honeydew, an ionic liquid, or the like. Examples of alcohols include, but are not limited to, methanol, ethanol, propanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerol. Examples of organic solvents include, but are not limited to, ethers, esters, ketones, and aromatic compounds. The droplets 12 may be a mixture of multiple liquids, and may contain any dissolved or dispersed components. For example, the droplets 12 may contain chemicals, catalysts, pharmaceuticals, microorganisms, thickeners, and any additives. For convenience, the following description assumes that the droplets 12 are water, and uses terms such as "hydrophobic" and "hydrophilic," but the droplets 12 are not limited to water.

[0030] The material of the hydrophobic particles 14 may be, for example, an organic polymer, a metal, a metal oxide, glass beads, fumed silica, a carbon material such as carbon nanotubes or graphite carbon soot, Lycopodium obtained from club moss, fibrous wax, cellulose nanofibers, etc.

[0031] The liquid marble 10 can be produced by any known method. For example, if a droplet 12 is dropped into a container filled with hydrophobic particles 14, the hydrophobic particles 14 will naturally surround the droplet 12, forming the liquid marble 10. However, this is not a limitation, and any method can be used, such as spraying the hydrophobic particles 14 onto the droplet 12.

[0032] <2-2. Liquid marble handling equipment> An example of a liquid marble processing device is a liquid marble handling device 100. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a liquid marble handling device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0033] <2-2-1. Configuration of handling device> As shown in Fig. 3, the liquid marble handling device 100 has a holding unit 110 and a temperature control unit 120. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the handling device 100 is used to handle the liquid marble 10 placed on the substrate 1, but the method of using the handling device 100 is not limited to this.

[0034] The holding unit 110 has a holding surface 112 for holding the liquid marble 10, and is positioned so that the holding surface 112 faces the upper surface of the substrate 1. The holding surface 112 preferably has low affinity for the liquid components of the liquid marble 10. Specifically, the holding surface 112 may have low wettability (e.g., a contact angle of 90 degrees or more) with respect to the liquid components of the liquid marble 10, so that the liquid components do not completely wet or spread when they come into contact with the holding surface 112. For example, at least a portion of the holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 is hydrophobic or water-repellent. Preferably, at least a portion of the holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 is superhydrophobic or superwater-repellent (e.g., a contact angle of 150 degrees or more or 165 degrees or more). The holding unit 110 can hold the liquid marble 10, which is composed of the droplets 12 and hydrophobic particles 14, on the hydrophobic holding surface 112.

[0035] The temperature control unit 120 can adjust the temperature of the holding unit 110. The principle by which the temperature control unit 120 adjusts the temperature of the holding unit 110 is not particularly limited, and any temperature adjustment method can be used. For example, in order to easily electrically control the temperature, it is preferable that the temperature control unit 120 includes an element (e.g., a Peltier element) that changes the temperature of the holding unit in response to an electrical signal.

[0036] The temperature control unit 120 creates a temperature difference between the holding unit 110 and the liquid marble 10. Specifically, the temperature control unit 120 cools the holding unit 110 to lower the temperature of the holding unit 110 below the temperature of the liquid marble 10, which is close to room temperature. The specific temperature difference between the liquid marble 10 and the holding unit 110 is not particularly limited, as long as the liquid marble 10 can be adsorbed onto the holding surface 112. For example, the temperature control unit 120 can control the temperature of the holding surface 112 so that the temperature of the holding surface 112 is 5°C or more, 10°C or more, 15°C or more, or 20°C or more lower than the temperature of the liquid marble 10 (or room temperature). The temperature control unit 120 can also heat the holding unit 110.

[0037] <2-2-2. Operation of handling device> 4A to 4F are schematic diagrams showing an example of a handling operation of the liquid marble 10 using the handling device 100. Hereinafter, an example of a handling operation of the liquid marble 10 using the handling device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4F.

[0038] 4A, the handling device 100 places the holding unit 110 above the liquid marble 10 on the substrate 1. The holding unit 110 faces the holding surface 112 for holding the liquid marble 10 toward the liquid marble 10. The handling device 100 lowers the holding unit 110 until it comes into contact with the liquid marble 10.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4B, after the holding unit 110 is brought into contact with the liquid marble 10, the temperature control unit 120 cools the holding unit 110. As a result, as shown in Fig. 4C, the gap 16 surrounded by the holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 and the droplet 12 and hydrophobic particles 14 of the liquid marble 10 is filled with the liquid component of the droplet 12, forming a bridge 18. As a result, the liquid marble 10 is strongly adsorbed to the holding surface 112.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4C, after adsorbing the liquid marble 10, the handling device 100 raises the holding unit 110 while maintaining the temperature of the holding unit 110. Because the liquid marble 10 is adsorbed to the holding surface 112, it leaves the substrate 1 and is lifted up by the holding unit 110, as shown in FIG. 4D. In other words, the holding unit 110 can pick up the liquid marble 10 by adsorbing it to the holding surface 112. Here, "pickup" refers to lifting the liquid marble 10 from a predetermined mounting surface. The handling device 100 can freely move the liquid marble 10 while it is held by the holding unit 110.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4E, after the handling device 100 moves the liquid marble 10 to the desired position, the temperature control unit 120 heats (or stops cooling) the holding unit 110. This restores the voids 16 and causes the liquid marble 10 to lose its adhesive force to the holding surface 112. As shown in Figure 4F, even though the handling device 100 raises the holding unit 110, the liquid marble 10 does not rise with the holding unit 110 and remains on the substrate 1.

[0042] In this way, by controlling the temperature of the holding unit 110, the handling device 100 can change the adhesive force between the holding unit 110 and the liquid marble 10 as needed, thereby enabling flexible handling of the liquid marble 10. For example, the handling device 100 can hold and lift the liquid marble 10 as described above, move it to a desired location, adjust its position and orientation, or fix it in place. Note that the relative positions of the liquid marble 10, holding unit 110, and substrate 1 are not limited to the example described above and can be arranged in any manner.

[0043] <2-2-3. Modified examples of handling device> (1) The handling device 100 may use the holding unit 110 as a substrate for placing the liquid marble 10. For example, the handling device 100 may hold the liquid marble 10 on the holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 with the holding surface 112 facing upward. To fix the liquid marble 10 on the holding surface 112, the user can cool the holding unit 110, thereby causing the liquid marble 10 to be strongly adsorbed to the holding surface 112. This type of use of the handling device 100 is suitable, for example, for temporarily fixing the liquid marble 10 when observing it.

[0044] (2) In the above example, the handling device 100 is described as having a temperature control unit 120 that cools the holding unit 110, but it may instead heat the liquid marbles 10. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a handling device 200 for liquid marbles 10 according to a modified embodiment.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, the handling device 200 includes a holding unit 210 and a temperature control unit 220. The holding unit 210 has a configuration similar to that of the holding unit 110 of the handling device 100. Instead of cooling the holding unit 110, the temperature control unit 220 heats the liquid marble 10, thereby creating a temperature difference between the liquid marble 10 and the holding unit 110. The temperature control unit 220 is, for example, an electromagnetic wave transmitter such as a laser or microwave radiator. The temperature control unit 220 can selectively heat the droplets 12 of the liquid marble 10. Heating the liquid marble 10 with the temperature control unit 220 creates a temperature difference between the holding unit 110 and the liquid marble 10. This causes the voids 16 to fill with liquid components, and the liquid marble 10 is strongly attached to the holding surface 112, based on the same principle as described above. The temperature control units 120 and 220 may be used together.

[0046] (3) The holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 may have a hydrophobic uneven structure 114. FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of a handling operation of a liquid marble 10 using a handling device 100 having an uneven structure 114 on the holding surface 112. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the holding surface 112 has a fine uneven structure 114, the recesses of the uneven structure 114 also form part of the voids 16 surrounded by the holding surface 112, the droplets 12, and the hydrophobic particles 14. When the holding unit 110 is cooled by the temperature control unit 120 with the fine uneven structure 114 forming such narrow voids 16, the liquid components of the droplets 12 penetrate not only between the hydrophobic particles 14 but also into the recesses of the uneven structure 114, as shown in FIG. 6B. When the minute space formed by the recess is filled with the liquid component (bridge 18), a stronger adsorption force acts between the liquid marble 10 and the holding surface 112 than when the holding surface 112 is flat.

[0047] The shape and method of forming the uneven structure 114 of the holding surface 112 as described above are not particularly limited. For example, the holding part 110 may be molded to have the uneven structure 114 during manufacturing. A flat holding surface 112 may be machined to have the uneven structure 114. A coating that forms the uneven structure 114 may be provided on the holding surface 112. For example, the uneven structure 114 may be formed on the holding surface 112 by coating nanoparticles in the nm to μm range on the holding surface 112. The coated particles are preferably highly hydrophobic, such as SiO nanoparticles that have been hydrophobized by silane coupling treatment. Preferably, the uneven structure 114 imparts hydrophobicity to the holding surface 112. Specifically, the holding surface 112 having the uneven structure 114 may exhibit a larger contact angle than the holding surface 112 without the uneven structure 114. The size of the uneven structure 114 is not particularly limited as long as it achieves the above-described hydrophobicity. The size of the concave-convex structure 114 is preferably small enough to release the liquid marbles. For example, the width of the concaves in the concave-convex structure 114 may be 1 nm to 100 μm, 10 nm to 10 μm, or 100 nm to 1 μm.

[0048] (4) The handling operation described above may be performed automatically or semi-automatically by machine control. For example, the handling device 100 may include a moving mechanism for moving the holder 110 and a contact sensor, such as a pressure sensor or proximity sensor, for detecting contact between the holder 110 and the liquid marble 10. The handling device 100 uses the moving mechanism to move the holder 110 closer to the liquid marble 10. In response to a known contact or proximity sensor on the holder 110 detecting contact between the holder 110 and the liquid marble 10, the handling device 100 instructs the temperature control unit 120 to cool the holder 110 and hold the liquid marble 10 in the holder 110. By using sensors in this way, the handling device 100 can handle the liquid marble 10 without human intervention. The same applies to the handling device 200.

[0049] <2-2-4. Effects> The handling devices 100 and 200 described above allow for easy handling of the liquid marbles 10 through temperature control. Conventionally, handling of liquid marbles 10 has typically been done manually using tweezers or similar tools. This has made handling of the liquid marbles 10 challenging, and there is a risk of accidentally breaking the liquid marbles 10 during handling. However, the handling devices 100 and 200 described above allow for handling of the liquid marbles 10 through mechanical control. Furthermore, the handling operation, including temperature control, is extremely simple, improving the ease and safety of handling the liquid marbles 10.

[0050] <2-3. Liquid Marble Disintegration Device and Sensing System> Another example of a liquid marble processing device is a liquid marble disintegration device 300. Here, an example in which the liquid marble disintegration device 300 is applied to a sensing system 400 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a sensing system 400 including a liquid marble disintegration device 300 according to this embodiment.

[0051] <2-3-1. Configuration of Liquid Marble Disintegration Device and Sensing System> As shown in FIG. 7 , the sensing system 400 includes the liquid marble disintegration device 300 and a sensor 410. The sensing system 400 is a system for sensing the behavior of the liquid marble 10 or the behavior of substances within the droplet 12. For example, the sensing system 400 senses the contents of the liquid marble 10 (i.e., the liquid inside the liquid marble 10 and the substances contained in the liquid, such as biological cells or chemical species). While the sensor 410 is shown in FIG. 7 as a camera that captures images of the liquid marble 10, it is not limited to this and may be one or more sensors that acquire any information. For example, the sensor 410 may be an optical sensor that optically senses the liquid marble 10 (e.g., a camera, various microscopes, infrared sensors, ultraviolet sensors, X-ray sensors, etc.), an electrical sensor with electrodes for electrical measurements, or a chemical sensor that detects reactants, proteins, molecules, etc. deposited on a support surface along with a color change indicator.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 7 , the liquid marble disintegration device 300 includes a holding unit 310 and a temperature control unit 320. A liquid marble 10 is placed on the holding surface 312 of the holding unit 310. The holding surface 312 preferably has high affinity with the liquid components of the liquid marble 10. Specifically, the holding surface 312 can have high wettability (e.g., a contact angle of less than 90 degrees) with respect to the liquid components of the liquid marble 10. For example, at least a portion of the holding surface 312 of the holding unit 310 is hydrophilic. The holding unit 310 can hold the liquid marble 10, which is composed of droplets 12 and hydrophobic particles 14, on the hydrophilic holding surface 312. When the liquid marble 10 is held on the holding surface 312, the hydrophobic particles 14 are interposed between the droplets 12 and the holding surface 312. Therefore, the droplets 12 do not come into direct contact with the holding surface 312, preventing the droplets 12 from spreading across the holding surface 312.

[0053] <2-3-2. Operation of the Liquid Marble Disintegrator and Sensing System> The liquid marble disintegration device 300 can disintegrate the liquid marble 10 by lowering the temperature of the holding unit 310 using the temperature control unit 320. Specifically, when the temperature control unit 320 cools the holding unit 310, the void 16 surrounded by the holding surface 312 of the holding unit 310 and the droplets 12 and hydrophobic particles 14 of the liquid marble 10 is filled with the liquid components of the droplets 12. As a result, the droplets 12 of the liquid marble 10 escape from the space surrounded by the hydrophobic particles 14 and spread over the holding surface 312, causing the liquid marble 10 to disintegrate.

[0054] The sensing system 400 can sense the behavior of the collapsed liquid marble 10. For example, if a specific reactant is confined within the droplet 12 of the liquid marble 10 and a chemical reaction experiment is conducted using the droplet 12 as a reaction field, the user can collapse the liquid marble 10 at the desired timing using the liquid marble collapse device 300 and observe the results of the chemical reaction with the sensor 410. The type of sensing is not particularly limited, and examples include capturing images using a camera or microscope, measuring optical spectra such as transmission and reflection spectra, and measuring physical properties.

[0055] <2-3-3. Modifications> (1) As with the handling device 200, the liquid marble disintegrating device 300 may have a temperature control unit that heats the liquid marbles 10, instead of or in addition to the temperature control unit 320 that adjusts the temperature of the holding unit 310. Such a temperature control unit can increase the relative temperature of the liquid marbles 10 with respect to the holding unit 310, thereby disintegrating the liquid marbles 10 in the same manner as described above.

[0056] (2) The liquid marble disintegration operation described above may be performed automatically or semi-automatically by machine control. For example, the sensing system 400 may link the liquid marble disintegration device 300 with the sensor 410, and determine the timing for the liquid marble disintegration device 300 to disintegrate the liquid marble 10 based on the results of sensing the liquid marble 10 by the sensor 410.

[0057] <2-3-4. Effects> The liquid marble disintegration device 300 described above allows the liquid marble 10 to be disintegrated at any time. This is useful, for example, for observing the behavior of the liquid marble 10 itself or the behavior of the contents when the liquid marble 10 is used as a capsule containing reactants, medicines, microorganisms, or other contents. The sensing system 400 including the liquid marble disintegration device 300 allows for any sensing of the liquid marble 10 or its contents. Observing the behavior of the contents is particularly convenient, as the liquid marble disintegration device 300 can disintegrate the liquid marble 10 at any time and allow the state of the contents to be confirmed. Another advantage is that, compared to manually disintegrating the liquid marble 10, no additional external force needs to be applied.

[0058] <3. Liquid Marble Processing Method> The liquid marble processing method of this embodiment is a liquid marble processing method for processing liquid marbles containing droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, and includes the steps of bringing the liquid marble into contact with a holding unit that holds the liquid marble, and changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble.

[0059] <3-1. How to change the adsorption power of Liquid Marble> The first liquid marble processing method according to this embodiment is a method for processing liquid marbles containing droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, and includes the steps of contacting a substrate (an example of a holding unit) with the liquid marble and changing the relative temperature between the substrate and the liquid marble to change the adhesive force of the liquid marble to the substrate. That is, in the liquid marble processing method, changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble changes the adhesive force of the liquid marble to the holding unit.

[0060] This liquid marble processing method can control the temperature to cause or remove the liquid marble 10 from adsorbing to the substrate. Preferably, the substrate has a surface that does not have affinity for the droplets. As described above, if the temperature of the substrate is lower than the temperature of the liquid marble 10, the adhesive force of the liquid marble 10 to the substrate can be increased. Conversely, if the temperature of the substrate is higher than the temperature of the liquid marble 10, the adhesive force of the liquid marble 10 to the substrate can be decreased. To change the adhesive force, the relative temperature between the substrate and the liquid marble 10 can be changed. Therefore, it is sufficient to change at least one of the temperature of the substrate and the temperature of the liquid marble 10, or both.

[0061] The method may further include steps of lifting the liquid marble 10 adsorbed on the substrate, moving the liquid marble 10 to a desired location, and releasing the liquid marble 10 at the desired location.

[0062] <3-2. How to disintegrate liquid marble> The second liquid marble processing method according to this embodiment is a liquid marble processing method for disintegrating liquid marbles containing droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, and includes the steps of placing the liquid marbles on a substrate (an example of a holder) with a surface that has affinity for the droplets, and disintegrating the liquid marbles by changing the relative temperature between the substrate and the liquid marbles. That is, in the liquid marble processing method, the holder has a surface that has affinity for the droplets, and the step of changing the relative temperature between the holder and the liquid marbles causes the liquid marbles to disintegrate.

[0063] This liquid marble processing method can disintegrate the liquid marbles 10 by controlling the temperature. As described above, if the temperature of the substrate is lower than that of the liquid marbles 10, the droplets 12 of the liquid marbles 10 will wet and spread over the substrate, thereby disintegrating the liquid marbles 10. To disintegrate the liquid marbles 10, the relative temperature between the substrate and the liquid marbles 10 needs to be changed. Therefore, the substrate may be cooled, the liquid marbles 10 may be heated, or the relative temperature may be changed in some other manner.

[0064] <4. Modifications> The above describes an example in which liquid marbles 10 are formed by droplets 12 surrounded by hydrophobic particles 14. However, liquid marbles 10 formed by droplets 12 surrounded by hydrophilic particles 14 may also be used. In this case, however, it is preferable that the holding surface 112 of the holding unit 110 for adsorbing the liquid marbles 10 be hydrophilic. It is also preferable that the holding surface 312 of the holding unit 310 of the liquid marble disintegration device 300 be hydrophobic. From the perspective of forming and maintaining liquid marbles 10, when hydrophobic particles 14 are used, it is preferable that the droplets 12 be a liquid with low affinity for the hydrophobic particles 14 (for example, a polar liquid such as water). When hydrophilic particles 14 are used, it is preferable that the droplets 12 be a liquid with low affinity for the hydrophilic particles 14 (for example, a non-polar liquid such as an organic solvent). However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described preferred embodiment. As long as the principles of the invention are met, any combination of droplet 12, particle 14, and holding surface 112, 312 may be used. Any particles and liquids can be used as long as the particles 14 and droplet 12 liquids can form liquid marbles 10. In this case, it is preferable that the particles 14 have no affinity for the droplet 12 liquid (or have a large contact angle). However, a combination of particles and liquids with a relatively small contact angle can also be used as long as liquid marbles 10 can be formed. Furthermore, for handling liquid marbles 10, it is preferable that the holding surface has no affinity for the liquid (or has a large contact angle). For disintegrating liquid marbles 10, it is preferable that the holding surface has affinity for the liquid (or has a small contact angle). However, the contact angle between the holding surface and the liquid is not particularly limited as long as the liquid marbles 10 can be held or disintegrated according to the purpose. Furthermore, the shape of the liquid marble 10 can be controlled and adjusted depending on the contact angle between the liquid and the holding surface. [Example]

[0065] The present invention will be described below with reference to experimental examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following experimental examples.

[0066] A handling device 100 as shown in FIG. 3 was manufactured. A silicon wafer or slide glass with an ultra-water-repellent coating was used as the holder 110. The ultra-water-repellent coating was formed by spraying Glaco (registered trademark) Mirror Coat ZERO (manufactured by Soft99 Corporation) or Ultra-Ever Dry (registered trademark) (manufactured by Meiko Corporation) onto the silicon wafer or slide glass. This coating agent achieves ultra-hydrophobicity by forming a porous layer of hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles on the substrate.

[0067] A Peltier element was used as the temperature control unit 120. When the liquid marble 10 was attached to the holder 110, the Peltier element was controlled to cool the holder 110 until the temperature of the holding surface 112 of the holder 110 reached approximately 4°C, and when the liquid marble 10 was released from the holder 110, the Peltier element was controlled to heat the holder 110 until the temperature of the holding surface 112 reached approximately 30°C to 40°C.

[0068] Lycopodium particles (Sigma-Aldrich) with a diameter of approximately 30 μm were used as the hydrophobic particles for Liquid Marble 10. Lycopodium is a hydrophobic particle obtained from the spores of the club moss. When a droplet of water was dropped onto the powder of Lycopodium, the water droplet was naturally enveloped by the Lycopodium, forming Liquid Marble 10.

[0069] The liquid marble 10 produced as described above was placed on the substrate 1, and the handling device 100 was placed above it, and the operations shown in Figures 4A to 4F were carried out. When the holding part 110 was raised while the holding surface 112 was cooled by the Peltier element, the liquid marble 10 could be lifted while adsorbed to the holding surface 112, as shown in Figure 4D. After that, when the holding surface 112 was heated by the Peltier element, the liquid marble 10 could be released from the holding surface 112, as shown in Figure 4F.

[0070] When the holding part 110 was cooled while the liquid marble 10 was in contact with the holding surface 112, the change in the adsorption state of the liquid marble 10 was observed from the back side of the transparent holding part 110, and it was confirmed that the voids 16 between the hydrophobic particles 14 were being filled with water, as shown in Figures 1B and 1C. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10...liquid marble, 12...droplet, 14...hydrophobic particle, 16...void, 18...bridge, 20...support, 100, 200...handling device, 300...liquid marble disintegration device, 1...substrate, 110, 210, 310...holding part, 112, 212, 312...holding surface, 120, 220, 320...temperature control part, 400...sensing system, 410...sensor

Claims

1. A liquid marble processing apparatus for processing liquid marbles including droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, comprising: a holder for holding the liquid marble; a temperature control unit that changes the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble; A liquid marble processing device comprising:

2. The adhesive force of the liquid marble to the holder changes in response to the temperature control unit changing the relative temperature. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1.

3. The temperature control unit changes the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holding unit is lower than the temperature of the liquid marbles, and in response to this, the liquid marbles are adsorbed to the holding unit. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the temperature control unit changes the relative temperature so that the temperature of the holding unit is equal to or higher than the temperature of the liquid marbles, the liquid marbles that have been adsorbed to the holding unit are released from the holding unit. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 3.

5. The holding unit is configured to pick up the liquid marble by adsorbing the liquid marble onto its surface. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The particles are hydrophobic, The holding portion has a hydrophobic surface and holds the liquid marbles on the hydrophobic surface. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The holding portion has a surface on which a hydrophobic uneven structure is formed. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The temperature control unit changes the temperature of the holding unit. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The temperature control unit includes an element that changes the temperature of the holding unit in response to an electrical signal. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

10. the holder has a surface that has an affinity for the droplet; The temperature control unit disintegrates the liquid marble by changing the relative temperature. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 1.

11. The liquid marble processing device according to claim 10; a sensor for sensing the liquid marbles disintegrated by the liquid marble processing device; A sensing system comprising:

12. A liquid marble processing method for processing liquid marbles including droplets and particles surrounding the droplets, comprising: bringing the liquid marble into contact with a holder that holds the liquid marble; changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble; A liquid marble processing method comprising:

13. the step of changing the relative temperature between the holding part and the liquid marbles results in a change in the adhesive force of the liquid marbles to the holding part; The liquid marble treatment method according to claim 12.

14. the holder has a surface that has an affinity for the droplet; the step of changing the relative temperature between the holding unit and the liquid marble causes the liquid marble to disintegrate. The liquid marble treatment method according to claim 12.

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