Edible liquid marbles stabilized with millimeter-sized spherical particles.

Abstract

Liquid marbles (LMs) are millimeter-sized liquid droplets in a gaseous phase coated with solid particles. The LM technology allows liquid droplets to be treated as solid particles. As an LM stabilizer, edible particles are of particular interest, especially for applications in the food industry. However and surprisingly, there are limited numbers of reports describing LMs stabilized with edible particles. In this study, we utilize silver dragees, which are millimeter-sized spherical sugar beads coated by silver overlayers used for decorating cakes and cookies, as edible particles to stabilize LMs. The silver dragees surface was modified using stearic acid to work as an effective LM stabilizer by adsorbing at the gas-liquid interface. LMs with millimeter and centimeter sizes can be fabricated. Due to high adsorption energy and jamming effect of the modified dragees at gas-liquid interface, LMs with non-equilibrium shapes including intricate ones with varying curvatures can be prepared. Developing LMs with customizable shapes is crucial for expanding their potential applications and versatility as functional systems for food applications. We therefore show how these customizable-shaped LMs can be utilized as an edible decoration material for food applications.