Shape-Designable Liquid Marbles Stabilized by Gel Layer.

Shape-designable liquid marbles were simply prepared by rolling the water droplets over the stearic acid powder for several seconds to encapsulate them. The effects of droplet volume, pH, and rolling time on the deformability of liquid marbles from sphere were investigated. The stearic acid-stabilized liquid marbles can be deformed to any desirable and stable shapes including ellipsoids and letters, thanks to the gel layer formed at liquid marble surfaces during the preparation. The gel layer works as a flexible and plastic membrane, which makes the liquid marbles irreversibly deformable. Finally, the applications of the liquid marbles as a microreactor were demonstrated.