MU News Bureau

A study from the University of Missouri should benefit researchers who need to control tiny oil droplets on microdevices. A Missouri team has devised a way to form a virtual wall that will confine oily liquids to a certain area. Professor Jae Kwon and colleagues have developed oil-repellent surfaces that help keep oil in predetermined pathways. The technique is based on micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. The researchers demonstrated invisible virtual walls that block the spreading of such low-surface tension liquids at the boundary line with microscopic features already created in the device. "Our newly developed surface helped keep oil, which is normally unmanageable, in predetermined pathways making it controllable," Kwon says. "To read further, please visit http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2013/1202-mu-researcher-develops-virtual-wall-which-could-stop-the-spread-of-oil-and-could-help-build-invisible-barrier-for-oil-spills/.