ArticleNature communications2026
Soft microgel networks stabilize and extend nozzle-free water jets.
Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors.
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Abstract
The stability of high-speed liquid jets is crucial for applications ranging from precision printing to needle-free drug delivery, yet it is fundamentally limited by capillary-driven breakup. We find that tuning the nanoscale softness of Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) microgels provides a robust, biocompatible strategy to overcome this limitation. Soft, low-cross-linker-density microgels form elastic interfacial networks at the air-water interface that suppress surface tension recovery, delay Rayleigh-Plateau instabilities, and extend Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW)-driven jet lengths by up to 44%. In contrast, stiffer microgels lose network cohesion under strain, leading to rapid jet breakup. To gain molecular-level insights, we perform dissipative particle dynamics simulations, which reveal that polymer bridges in soft microgels remain entangled during elongation, maintaining a reduced effective surface tension. Finally, a simple scaling analysis, balancing the SAW-driven kinetic energy imparted to the droplet against the surface energy required to form a jet, quantitatively predicts the observed length enhancement.
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