Metal-Ion-Dependent Motion of Self-Propelled Droplets Due to the Marangoni Effect

Chemically driven self-propulsion of soft matter is useful for various applications because it can move toward a desired location, without external power fields, in response to chemical signals in environmental media. We have developed a suitable steering mechanism to maintain the orientation of self-propelled droplets loaded with surfactant in fluidic environments. A spatial gradient of alkaline-earth metal ions induces directional sensing. These metal ions can be arranged in descending order of directional sensing as Ba(2+) ∼ Sr(2+) > Ca(2+) > Mg(2+). On the other hand, the affinity between metal ions and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) decreases in the order as Ca(2+) > Ba(2+) > Sr(2+) > Mg(2+). To clarify the difference between the order of directional sensing and that of affinity, we investigated the effect of metal ions on the driving force to create asymmetric convection. We found that changes in the interfacial tension under nonequilibrium conditions play an important role in directional sensing.