Single Fusion Events at Polarized Liquid-Liquid Interfaces

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Soft Matter Physics
• Interface Science

Background:

• Tracking soft particles and their interactions at interfaces is crucial for understanding various physical and biological processes.
• Existing methods often lack the resolution to monitor individual fusion events at the micro- and nanoscale.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a new electrochemical framework for real-time tracking of individual soft particles.
• To monitor the fusion dynamics of these particles with polarized liquid-liquid interfaces.
• To investigate ion transport across biomimetic soft interfaces.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an electrochemical technique based on interfacial transfer of an ionic probe confined within soft particles.
• Analyzing stochastic spike-like transients in current-time responses at liquid-liquid interfaces.
• Employing dynamic light scattering for comparative analysis and droplet size validation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a proof-of-concept using 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) in water (W) emulsions at submilli-interfaces.
• Observed that spike characteristics (sign, potential dependence) reveal droplet charge and lipophilicity.
• Correlated individual current spikes with the fusion of single sub-picoliter droplets.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical framework allows for the study of single soft particle fusion events at interfaces.
• This method provides insights into ion transport mechanisms across soft and biomimetic interfaces.
• Opens new avenues for micro- and nanoscale interfacial studies.