Moe Akazawa, Yasuyuki Tsuboi, Ken-Ichi Yuyama
Liquid-liquid phase separation of an ionic liquid/water mixture generates a microdroplet that switches the protonation equilibrium. Protonation is induced upon droplet formation by optical tweezing. The equilibrium shifts back toward deprotonation as the droplet grows and its composition changes. This work demonstrates the phase-separated droplet as an optically tunable microreactor.