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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Electronic Polarization Governs Structure-Transport Coupling of Angstrom-Scale Confined Water.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Shedding light on bacterial fitness in a tug-of-war with liquid crystal emulsions.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Active and probe-free intracellular rheology via phase-sensitive thermoviscous flows.

PNAS nexus·2026
Same author

A biomineralized light-guiding structure in the porous calcitic skeleton of the sea star <i>Protoreaster nodosus</i>.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Helical opto-thermoviscous flows drive out-of-plane rotation and particle spinning in a highly viscous micro-environment.

Light, science & applications·2026
Same author

Electrochemical oxidation enables aromatic C-H amination with dual mechanisms.

Nature synthesis·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Author Spotlight: Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches in Precision Oncology
07:03

Author Spotlight: Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches in Precision Oncology

Published on: December 1, 2023

1.6K

Reconfigurable and responsive droplet-based compound micro-lenses.

Sara Nagelberg1, Lauren D Zarzar2,3, Natalie Nicolas1

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

Nature Communications
|March 8, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed dynamic liquid micro-lenses using immiscible liquids. These responsive micro-lenses can tune focal lengths for advanced imaging and display technologies.

More Related Videos

Reconfigurable Microfluidic Channel with Pin-discretized Sidewalls
10:39

Reconfigurable Microfluidic Channel with Pin-discretized Sidewalls

Published on: April 12, 2018

7.8K
A Femtoliter Droplet Array for Massively Parallel Protein Synthesis from Single DNA Molecules
10:45

A Femtoliter Droplet Array for Massively Parallel Protein Synthesis from Single DNA Molecules

Published on: June 20, 2020

11.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Author Spotlight: Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches in Precision Oncology
07:03

Author Spotlight: Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches in Precision Oncology

Published on: December 1, 2023

1.6K
Reconfigurable Microfluidic Channel with Pin-discretized Sidewalls
10:39

Reconfigurable Microfluidic Channel with Pin-discretized Sidewalls

Published on: April 12, 2018

7.8K
A Femtoliter Droplet Array for Massively Parallel Protein Synthesis from Single DNA Molecules
10:45

A Femtoliter Droplet Array for Massively Parallel Protein Synthesis from Single DNA Molecules

Published on: June 20, 2020

11.0K

Area of Science:

  • Optics and Photonics
  • Materials Science
  • Microfluidics

Background:

  • Micro-scale optical components are vital for miniaturized technologies like imaging, displays, and biosensing.
  • Current micro-lenses often lack dynamic tunability, limiting their adaptability in advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate liquid compound micro-lenses with dynamically tunable focal lengths.
  • To explore the potential of fluid-based micro-lenses for novel optical applications.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of bi-phase emulsion droplets from immiscible hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon liquids.
  • Experimental characterization of dynamic refractive control and focal length variation.
  • Theoretical analysis and wave-optical modeling to understand micro-lens behavior.

Main Results:

  • Successfully created responsive micro-lenses from liquid droplets.
  • Demonstrated tunable focal lengths, enabling light focusing, scattering, and image formation (real/virtual).
  • Validated micro-lens functionality in simulations and experimental setups.

Conclusions:

  • Fluid-based dynamic refractive micro-scale compound lenses offer significant advantages over static components.
  • These tunable micro-lenses show promise for integral micro-scale imaging and light field display technologies.
  • The developed technology opens new avenues for reconfigurable micro-optical systems.