A simple new technique to form interlocking beads of water
in ambient conditions could prove valuable for applications in biological
sensing, membrane research and harvesting water from fog.
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National
Laboratory have developed a method to create air-stable water droplet networks
known as droplet interface bilayers. These interconnected water droplets have
many roles in biological research because their interfaces simulate cell
membranes. Cumbersome fabrication methods, however, have limited their use.