Armoured liquid marbles connected together in a chain 1.7 metres long

By Donna Lu

Droplets of liquid with a protective coating can be joined into super-long chains of up to 1.7 metres.

Liquid marbles consist of droplets that are covered by one or more layers of solid particles. Many of them are too soft to be handled and are easily destroyed by mechanical stress – particularly those that are larger than capillary length, a factor relating to gravity and surface tension. At 20°C, the capillary length of water is 2.7 millimetres.