Winkens Mitch, Vilcan Alexandru, de Visser Pieter J, de Graaf Freek V, Korevaar Peter A
Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 AJ, The Netherlands.
Small. 2023 May;19(20):e2206800. doi: 10.1002/smll.202206800. Epub 2023 Feb 17.
Dissipative chemical systems hold the potential to enable life-like behavior in synthetic matter, such as self-organization, motility, and dynamic switching between different states. Here, out-of-equilibrium self-organization is demonstrated by interconnected source and drain droplets at an air-water interface, which display dynamic behavior due to a hydrolysis reaction that generates a concentration gradient around the drain droplets. This concentration gradient interferes with the adhesion of self-assembled amphiphile filaments that grow from a source droplet. The chemical gradient sustains a unique orbiting of the drain droplet, which is proposed to be driven by the selective adhesion of the filaments to the front of the moving droplet, while filaments approaching from behind are destabilized upon contact with the hydrolysis product in the trail of the droplet. Potential applications are foreseen in the transfer of chemical signals amongst communicating droplets in rearranging networks, and the implementation of chemical reactions to drive complex positioning routines in life-like systems.
耗散化学系统具有使合成物质呈现类似生命行为的潜力，例如自组织、运动以及在不同状态之间的动态切换。在此，通过气 - 水界面处相互连接的源液滴和漏液滴展示了非平衡自组织现象，这些液滴由于水解反应而呈现动态行为，该水解反应在漏液滴周围产生浓度梯度。这种浓度梯度会干扰从源液滴生长出的自组装两亲性细丝的粘附。化学梯度维持着漏液滴独特的轨道运动，据推测这是由细丝选择性地粘附在移动液滴的前端所驱动的，而从后方靠近的细丝在与液滴轨迹中的水解产物接触时会变得不稳定。预计在重新排列网络中通信液滴之间的化学信号传递以及在类生命系统中驱动复杂定位程序的化学反应实施方面有潜在应用。
