Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Micelles01:30

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Enhanced Aging Stability of Ordered Mesoporous Silica Materials Synthesized via True Liquid Crystal Templating-A Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Study.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Polarization-driven twisted states in ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals under confinement.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Chitin Nanocrystals from Various Biological Sources and Their Chiral Nematic Suspensions in Water.

Biomacromolecules·2025
Same author

Viscoelastic Properties of Micellar Lyotropic Nematic Liquid Crystals: Exploring the Impact of Temperature and Surfactant Concentration.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2025
Same author

Sulfobetaine ionic liquid crystals based on strong acids: phase behavior and electrochemistry.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2024
Same author

Overdamping of vibration resonances by liquid crystal elastomers.

Scientific reports·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
12:04

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

One-piece micropumps from liquid crystalline core-shell particles.

Eva-Kristina Fleischmann1, Hsin-Ling Liang, Nadia Kapernaum

  • 1Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany.

Nature Communications
|November 8, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed novel one-piece micropumps using liquid crystalline elastomer particles. These flexible, low-cost microactuators offer a simple, efficient solution for lab-on-chip systems, mimicking jellyfish motion for fluid pumping.

More Related Videos

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation
08:27

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation

Published on: August 28, 2017

Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids
10:51

Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids

Published on: October 13, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
12:04

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation
08:27

Aqueous Droplets Used as Enzymatic Microreactors and Their Electromagnetic Actuation

Published on: August 28, 2017

Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids
10:51

Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids

Published on: October 13, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Microfluidics and Lab-on-Chip Systems
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Responsive polymers offer low-cost, lightweight, and flexible materials ideal for micromechanical and lab-on-chip integration.
  • Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are stimuli-responsive polymers capable of mechanical motion, enabling their use as microactuators.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present the fabrication of one-piece micropumps from liquid crystalline core-shell elastomer particles.
  • To demonstrate a low-cost, rapid, and scalable production method for microfluidic components.
  • To showcase the potential of these micropumps for integration into microfluidic systems without complex machinery.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of liquid crystalline core-shell elastomer particles using a microfluidic double-emulsion process.
  • Utilizing the stimuli-responsive actuation of the LCE shell to create a pumping mechanism.
  • Demonstrating reversible pumping of a liquid core within the particle via shell actuation.

Main Results:

  • Successful fabrication of one-piece micropumps from LCE core-shell particles.
  • Demonstration of a jellyfish-like motion for reversible pumping of the liquid core.
  • Continuous microfluidic process enables low-cost and rapid production of these micropumps.

Conclusions:

  • The developed LCE core-shell particles can function as integrated micropumps in microfluidic systems.
  • These micropumps eliminate the need for additional components and complex micromachining techniques.
  • Offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative for microfluidic fluid handling applications.