Droplet Microfluidics‐Assisted Fabrication of Toroidal Photonic Microobjects With Precisely Tunable Photonic Properties

ABSTRACT Toroidal photonic microobjects (TPMs) formed via evaporation‐induced assembly of colloid‐containing droplets have attracted increasing interest, yet existing strategies often suffer from poor control over droplet templates or require simultaneous regulation of multiple parameters, limiting structural precision and scalability. Here, we report a droplet microfluidics–assisted approach for fabricating highly uniform TPMs. Monodisperse microfluidic droplets enable precise control over the toroidal geometry, while the porous PTFE substrate guides the formation of TPMs with a distinctive bottom flat surface. SiO 2 colloid‐containing droplets deposited on porous PTFE evolve into toroidal microobjects with an upper curved surface and a bottom flat surface. By tuning SiO 2 particle size and droplet composition, including the incorporation of polydopamine colloids, the structural colors and photonic properties of TPMs can be readily controlled. Owing to their distinct curved and flat surfaces, TPMs exhibit markedly different angle‐dependent photonic responses. Ru(bpy) 3 Cl 2 post‐modification further endows TPMs with fluorescence functionality. As a proof of concept, TPMs with diverse structural colors and fluorescence are assembled into a quasi‐Olympic rings pattern, demonstrating their potential for patterned photonic structures and advanced pigments.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75443
Primary Topic
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Droplet Microfluidics‐Assisted Fabrication of Toroidal Photonic Microobjects With Precisely Tunable Photonic Properties

Aishan Cai, Xiaoxia Duan, Yuandu Hu, Mingshuo Dai et al.
Small
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
article

Droplet Microfluidics‐Assisted Fabrication of Toroidal Photonic Microobjects With Precisely Tunable Photonic Properties

Aishan Cai, Xiaoxia Duan, Yuandu Hu, Mingshuo Dai, Binghan Lin, Ran An
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Toroidal photonic microobjects (TPMs) formed via evaporation‐induced assembly of colloid‐containing droplets have attracted increasing interest, yet existing strategies often suffer from poor control over droplet templates or require simultaneous regulation of multiple parameters, limiting structural precision and scalability. Here, we report a droplet microfluidics–assisted approach for fabricating highly uniform TPMs. Monodisperse microfluidic droplets enable precise control over the toroidal geometry, while the porous PTFE substrate guides the formation of TPMs with a distinctive bottom flat surface. SiO 2 colloid‐containing droplets deposited on porous PTFE evolve into toroidal microobjects with an upper curved surface and a bottom flat surface. By tuning SiO 2 particle size and droplet composition, including the incorporation of polydopamine colloids, the structural colors and photonic properties of TPMs can be readily controlled. Owing to their distinct curved and flat surfaces, TPMs exhibit markedly different angle‐dependent photonic responses. Ru(bpy) 3 Cl 2 post‐modification further endows TPMs with fluorescence functionality. As a proof of concept, TPMs with diverse structural colors and fluorescence are assembled into a quasi‐Olympic rings pattern, demonstrating their potential for patterned photonic structures and advanced pigments.

Small
University of Toronto (CA), Beijing Jiaotong University (CN), South China University of Technology (CN), Wuhan Institute of Technology (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation
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Droplet Microfluidics‐Assisted Fabrication of Toroidal Photonic Microobjects With Precisely Tunable Photonic Properties — Aishan Cai, Xiaoxia Duan, et al. · Small (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS