Droplet Green Chemistry Using Thermally Shape-Reconfigurable Omniphobic Colloidosomes

Abstract

A high-yield, lossless chemical reaction conducted under ambient conditions is promising for green chemistry. However, owing to the sticky feature of liquids on solid surfaces and the high volatility of useful primary solvents, “droplet chemistry” is far from practical use. Thus, a droplet platform that prevents both droplet evaporation and adhesion losses is promising. Herein, we report a versatile method for droplet encapsulation with poly(octadecyl acrylate) (PODAc) based on the colloidosome technique. The PODAc colloidosomes are mechanochemically stable and thermally shape-reconfigurable while maintaining their surface omniphobicity. This feature enabled PODAc colloidosomes to load typical liquids regardless of their surface tension without experiencing evaporation or adhesion loss, transport like solid beads, and release inner liquid on-demand by heating or NIR light irradiation. The colloidosome is mass-producible and recyclable via a simple thermomechanical process. As a proof of concept, different droplet-scale reactions are demonstrated in colloidosomes using a volatile microliter solvent and volatile reactants.