Silica-based liquid marbles as microreactors for the silver mirror reaction.

Little attention has been paid to the participation of the shell of silica-particle-based liquid marbles and their influence on chemical reactions. The fabrication of liquid marbles with the encapsulating particle shells not only act as protecting layers to provide a confined environment, but also provide the reactive substrate surfaces to regulate the classical silver mirror reaction. Fabrication of silver mirrors with different morphologies was achieved by modifying particle surface properties, which could further lead to Janus liquid marbles. The different evaporation behavior of microreactors was demonstrated. Micrometer-sized silica particles were used for the preparation of monolayer-stabilized liquid marbles, which show great potential in fabricating Janus particles from superhydrophobic particles that are not attainable from Pickering emulsions.