CAS Key Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
Phys Rev Lett. 2020 Dec 31;125(26):268001. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.268001.
We propose a continuum theory of the liquid-liquid phase separation in an elastic network, where phase-separated microscopic droplets rich in one fluid component can form as an interplay of fluids mixing, droplet nucleation, network deformation, thermodynamic fluctuation, etc. We find that the size of the phase-separated droplets decreases with the shear modulus of the elastic network in the form of ∝[modulus]^{-1/3} and the number density of the droplet increases almost linearly with the shear modulus ∝[modulus], which are verified by the experimental observations. Phase diagrams in the space of (fluid constitution, mixture interaction, network modulus) are provided, which can help to understand similar phase separations in biological cells and also to guide fabrications of synthetic cells with desired phase properties.
我们提出了一个弹性网络中液-液相分离的连续体理论,其中富含一种流体成分的相分离微观液滴可以通过流体混合、液滴成核、网络变形、热力学涨落等相互作用形成。我们发现,相分离液滴的大小以∝[模量]^{-1/3}的形式随弹性网络的剪切模量减小,并且液滴的数密度几乎与剪切模量∝[模量]呈线性增加,这通过实验观察得到了验证。在(流体组成、混合物相互作用、网络模量)的空间中提供了相图,可以帮助理解生物细胞中的类似相分离,也可以指导具有所需相性质的合成细胞的制备。