Researchers report that millimeter-sized droplets of a variety of liquids can self-sustainingly and long-term levitate without the aid of any external forces. Solutocapillary convection, which happens when a surface tension gradient is created by the nonuniform distribution of vapor molecules from the droplet at the pool surface, is used to cause the drops to levitate. If self-sustaining droplet levitation can be harnessed and modified for microbiology and biochemistry applications, further investigation of the effects of various external conditions will be possible.
Droplet levitation is a new way to explore airborne viruses and microorganisms
