Light-Actuated Cantilever

First, imagine a drop of water on a waxed car hood: the drop beads up.  Then, on an unwaxed hood; the drop flattens out.  The different shapes are a function of wetting angles.  In microfluidics devices, an electrical current influences the wetting angle of the sample upon the device’s surfaces, and thus its movement.  French researchers at the University of Lille, however, have figured out how light can perform “photoelectricwetting,” while using smaller droplets that don’t need as much complex circuitry and pumps to be transported.   MORE

Image Credit:  Technology Review