Research

Here we report for the first time electro-guided, self-propelled droplets, which are composed solely of an ionic liquid, namely trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride ([P6,6,6,14][Cl]). These self-propelled droplets travel along an aqueous- air boundary and are guided to specific destinations within the fluidic network through the use of electro-chemically generated Cl- gradients. The direction of movement can be controlled by switching the impressed voltage (9V, ON or OFF) and polarity of the electrodes in contact with the electrolyte solution.