Mechanowetting drives droplet and fluid transport on traveling surface waves generated by light-responsive liquid crystal polymers

In nature, capillary forces are often driving microfluidic propulsion and droplet manipulation, technologies have been developed to utilize these in applications such as lab-on-a-chip biosensors systems. At the same time, responsive materials that can be activated by a variety of external triggers, including light, electric fields, temperature, locally deform create dynamic surface structures, traveling waves. Here, we combine developments into system enables capillary-driven transport fluid generated light-induced waves azobenzene-embedded liquid crystal polymers. We demonstrate able efficiently propel fluids means mechanowetting. couple wave profiles simulations using multiphase computational dynamics approach. study three different systems, i.e., peristaltic flow, slug transport, free-standing transport. The first operates on fluid-filled single channel achieves relative flow speeds u / < 0.01. contrast, slugs droplets transported at two orders magnitude higher speed equal ( = 1) exploiting mechanowetting effect. quantify Our method opens new avenues light-driven (digital) systems with enhanced control flow.