Active, self-motile, and driven emulsions

Abstract

In this review, we focus on recent experiments involving transport and other dynamical aspects of emulsified droplets under nonequilibrium conditions. We include both active emulsions, where individual droplets develop self-propulsion or self-sustained motion at the expense of local energy sources, and driven emulsions, where droplets are activated through the local transduction of an external source. A common theme in the reported scenarios is the use of hybrid colloidal systems, where emulsions and liquid crystals are interfaced, providing with a rich scenario that features phenomena and mechanisms not found in traditional emulsions.