近日，中国科学技术大学刘贤伟团队报道了微液滴界面电场动力学的实时可视化。相关论文于2025年12月15日发表在《美国化学会志》上。

实时观测微液滴空气-水界面电场动力学对于理解和控制界面反应性至关重要。然而，现有的方法主要测量稳态场或缺乏捕获快速界面波动所需的时间分辨率。

研究组介绍了一种采用场敏感探针的荧光动力学成像技术，以定量地显示微液滴聚结过程中的界面电场。通过校准探针的一阶荧光衰减与外加场强，研究组绘制了电场作为液滴的主题和变形的时空演化图。结果表明，界面电场与液滴形态密切相关，在明显的边界破坏下迅速消失。此外，研究组证明这些电场可以通过分子添加剂（如乙醇）进行外部调制，从而破坏界面秩序。这项工作为探测界面现象建立了一种广泛适用的方法，并为推进基于微滴的催化技术和先进材料提供了至关重要的基本见解。

附：英文原文

Title: Real-Time Visualization of Interfacial Electric Field Dynamics in Microdroplets

Author: Xinyuan Cao, Si-Yu Yang, Qi-Bing Xiao, Xian-Wei Liu

Issue&Volume: December 15, 2025

Abstract: Real-time observation of electric field dynamics at microdroplet air–water interfaces is critical for understanding and controlling interfacial reactivity. However, existing methods primarily measure steady-state fields or lack the temporal resolution needed to capture rapid interfacial fluctuations. Here, we introduce a fluorescence kinetic imaging technique employing a field-sensitive probe to quantitatively visualize interfacial electric fields during microdroplet coalescence. By calibrating the first-order fluorescence decay of the probe with applied field strength, we map the spatiotemporal evolution of electric fields as droplets fuse and deform. Our results reveal that interfacial electric fields are strongly correlated with droplet morphology, rapidly disappearing upon significant boundary disruption. Additionally, we demonstrate that these electric fields can be externally modulated through molecular additives such as ethanol, which disrupts interfacial ordering. This work establishes a broadly applicable approach for probing interfacial phenomena and offers fundamental insights critical for advancing microdroplet-based technologies in catalysis, and advanced materials.

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c16258

Source: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.5c16258