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Batista BC, Morris AZ, Steinbock O. Pattern selection by material aging: Modeling chemical gardens in two and three dimensions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305172120. [PMID: 37399415 PMCID: PMC10334770 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305172120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical gardens are complex, often macroscopic, structures formed by precipitation reactions. Their thin walls compartmentalize the system and adjust in size and shape if the volume of the interior reactant solution is increased by osmosis or active injection. Spatial confinement to a thin layer is known to result in various patterns including self-extending filaments and flower-like patterns organized around a continuous, expanding front. Here, we describe a cellular automaton model for this type of self-organization, in which each lattice site is occupied by one of the two reactants or the precipitate. Reactant injection causes the random replacement of precipitate and generates an expanding near-circular precipitate front. If this process includes an age bias favoring the replacement of fresh precipitate, thin-walled filaments arise and grow-like in the experiments-at the leading tip. In addition, the inclusion of a buoyancy effect allows the model to capture various branched and unbranched chemical garden shapes in two and three dimensions. Our results provide a model of chemical garden structures and highlight the importance of temporal changes in the self-healing membrane material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno C. Batista
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL32306-4390
| | - Amari Z. Morris
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL32306-4390
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL32306-4390
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2
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Nogueira JA, Batista BC, Cooper MA, Steinbock O. Shape Evolution of Precipitate Membranes in Flow Systems. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:1471-1478. [PMID: 36745753 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c08433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are macroscopic structures that form when a salt seed is submerged in an alkaline solution. Their thin precipitate membranes separate the reactant partners and slow down the approach toward equilibrium. During this stage, a gradual thickening occurs, which is driven by steep cross-membrane gradients and governed by selective ion transport. We study these growth dynamics in microfluidic channels for the case of Ni(OH)2 membranes. Fast flowing reactant solutions create thickening membranes of a nearly constant width along the channel, whereas slow flows produce wedge-shaped structures that fail to grow along their downstream end. The overall dynamics and shapes are caused by the competition of reactant consumption and transport replenishment. They are reproduced quantitatively by a two-variable reaction-diffusion-advection model which provides kinetic insights into the growth of precipitate membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica A Nogueira
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Bruno C Batista
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Maggie A Cooper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida32306-4390, United States
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3
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Zahorán R, Kumar P, Juhász Á, Horváth D, Tóth Á. Flow-driven synthesis of calcium phosphate-calcium alginate hybrid chemical gardens. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:8157-8164. [PMID: 36263702 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01063a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Systems far-from-equilibrium self-assemble into spatiotemporal structures. Here, we report on the formation of calcium alginate gardens along with their inorganic hybrids when a sodium alginate solution containing sodium phosphate in various compositions is injected into a calcium chloride reservoir. The viscoelastic properties of the membranes developed are controlled by the injection rate, while their thickness by the amount of sodium phosphate besides diffusion. Inorganic hybrid membranes with constant thickness are synthesized in the presence of a sufficient amount of sodium phosphate. The electrochemical characterization of the membranes suggests that the driving force is the pH-gradient developing along the two sides; hence, the cell potential can be controlled by the addition of alkaline sodium phosphate into the sodium alginate solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réka Zahorán
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Juhász
- MTA-SZTE Lendület "Momentum" Noble Metal Nanostructures Research Group, Interdisciplinary Excellence Center, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged, H-6720, Hungary.
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4
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Ding Y, Gutiérrez-Ariza CM, Zheng M, Felgate A, Lawes A, Sainz-Díaz CI, Cartwright JHE, Cardoso SSS. Downward fingering accompanies upward tube growth in a chemical garden grown in a vertical confined geometry. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:17841-17851. [PMID: 35851594 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01862d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Chemical gardens are self-assembled structures of mineral precipitates enabled by semi-permeable membranes. To explore the effects of gravity on the formation of chemical gardens, we have studied chemical gardens grown from cobalt chloride pellets and aqueous sodium silicate solution in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell. Through photography, we have observed and quantitatively analysed upward growing tubes and downward growing fingers. The latter were not seen in previous experimental studies involving similar physicochemical systems in 3-dimensional or horizontal confined geometry. To better understand the results, further studies of flow patterns, buoyancy forces, and growth dynamics under schlieren optics have been carried out, together with characterisation of the precipitates with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. In addition to an ascending flow and the resulting precipitation of tubular filaments, a previously not reported descending flow has been observed which, under some conditions, is accompanied by precipitation of solid fingering structures. We conclude that the physics of both the ascending and descending flows are shaped by buoyancy, together with osmosis and chemical reaction. The existence of the descending flow might highlight a limitation in current experimental methods for growing chemical gardens under gravity, where seeds are typically not suspended in the middle of the solution and are confined by the bottom of the vessel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Carlos M Gutiérrez-Ariza
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Mingchuan Zheng
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Amy Felgate
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - Anna Lawes
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
| | - C Ignacio Sainz-Díaz
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain.
| | - Julyan H E Cartwright
- Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, E-18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain. .,Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avenida de Fuente Nueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Silvana S S Cardoso
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, West Cambridge Site, University of Cambridge, Philippa Fawcett Drive, Cambridge CB3 0AS, UK.
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5
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Kumar P, Wang Q, Horváth D, Tóth Á, Steinbock O. Collective motion of self-propelled chemical garden tubes. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4389-4395. [PMID: 35616522 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00395c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In H2O2 solutions, manganese-containing chemical garden tubes can self-propel due to the catalytic production and ejection of oxygen bubbles. Here, we investigate the collective behavior of these self-assembled precipitate tubes. In thin solution layers, the tubes show definite autonomous dynamics with only weak interactions that result from fluid motion around the moving units and directional changes during collisions. In thick solution layers with convex menisci forcing spatial confinement, the tubes undergo cycles of self-assembly and dispersion. This collective motion results from the rhythmic creation of a large master bubble around which the tubes align tangentially.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA.
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Qingpu Wang
- Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA.
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1, Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Oliver Steinbock
- Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA.
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Hajdu C, Kumar P, Horváth D, Tóth Á. Pattern selection of directionally oriented chitosan tubes. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:134902. [PMID: 35395898 DOI: 10.1063/5.0087961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The growth of viscoelastic curved materials, inspired by biological systems, may give rise to various complex structures. One of the simplest ways to control the pattern formation is to vary the orientation of the reaction vessel while keeping all other experimental conditions constant. Here, we report the self-organization of soft chitosan tubes by injecting acidic chitosan sol into a pool of sodium hydroxide solution, where the adhesive force between the gel and container keeps the tubules on the bottom of the reactor. The horizontal growth of the tubular structure undergoes spontaneous symmetry breaking, where instabilities develop on the surface of the chitosan tubules. Transformation of folds into wrinkles and finally to a smooth tube takes place by varying the orientation of the container. In addition to characterizing the evolving structures, we have also shown that the linear growth rate of the tube scales with the tilt angle of the container from the horizontal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cintia Hajdu
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
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7
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Kumar P, Sebők D, Kukovecz Á, Horváth D, Tóth Á. Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Metal-Ion-Modulated Chitosan Tubules. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:12690-12696. [PMID: 34672616 PMCID: PMC8567419 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Soft materials such as gels or biological tissues can develop via self-assembly under chemo-mechanical forces. Here, we report the instantaneous formation of soft tubular structures with a two-level hierarchy by injecting a mixture of inorganic salt and chitosan (CS) solution from below into a reactor filled with alkaline solution. Folding and wrinkling instabilities occur on the originally smooth surface controlled by the salt composition and concentration. Liesegang-like precipitation patterns develop on the outer surface on a μm length scale in the presence of calcium chloride, while the precipitate particles are distributed evenly in the bulk as corroborated by X-ray μ-CT. On the other hand, barium hydroxide precipitates out only in the thin outer layer of the CS tubule when barium chloride is introduced into the CS solution. Independent of the concentration of the weakly interacting salt, an electric potential gradient across the CS membrane develops, which vanishes when the pH difference between the two sides of the membrane diminishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Dániel Sebők
- Department
of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ákos Kukovecz
- Department
of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department
of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Szeged H-6720, Hungary
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8
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Controlled self-assembly of chemical gardens enables fabrication of heterogeneous chemobrionic materials. Commun Chem 2021; 4:145. [PMID: 36697856 PMCID: PMC9814108 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00579-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical gardens are an example of a chemobrionic system that typically result in abiotic macro-, micro- and nano- material architectures, with formation driven by complex out-of-equilibrium reaction mechanisms. From a technological perspective, controlling chemobrionic processes may hold great promise for the creation of novel, compositionally diverse and ultimately, useful materials and devices. In this work, we engineer an innovative custom-built liquid exchange unit that enables us to control the formation of tubular chemical garden structures grown from the interface between calcium loaded hydrogel and phosphate solution. We show that systematic displacement of phosphate solution with water (H2O) can halt self-assembly, precisely control tube height and purify structures in situ. Furthermore, we demonstrate the fabrication of a heterogeneous chemobrionic composite material composed of aligned, high-aspect ratio calcium phosphate channels running through an otherwise dense matrix of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA). Given that the principles we derive can be broadly applied to potentially control various chemobrionic systems, this work paves the way for fabricating multifunctional materials that may hold great potential in a variety of application areas, such as regenerative medicine, catalysis and microfluidics.
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9
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Zouheir M, Le T, Torop J, Nikiforow K, Khatib M, Zohar O, Haick H, Huynh T. CuS‐Carrageenan Composite Grown from the Gel/Liquid Interface. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202000063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Morad Zouheir
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
| | - Trung‐Anh Le
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
| | - Janno Torop
- Institute of Technology University of Tartu Nooruse 1 50411 Tartu Estonia
| | - Kostiantyn Nikiforow
- Institute of Physical Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences 44/52 Kasprzaka 01-224 Warsaw Poland
| | - Muhammad Khatib
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Orr Zohar
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Hossam Haick
- The Department of Chemical Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa 3200003 Israel
| | - Tan‐Phat Huynh
- Laboratory of Molecular Sciences and Engineering Åbo Akademi University 20500 Turku Finland
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10
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Kumar P, Hajdu C, Tóth Á, Horváth D. Flow-driven Surface Instabilities of Tubular Chitosan Hydrogel. Chemphyschem 2021; 22:488-492. [PMID: 33355991 PMCID: PMC7986071 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Spatial structures break their symmetry under the influence of shear stress arising from fluid flow. Here, we present surface instabilities appearing on chitosan tubes when an acidic solution of chitosan with various molecular weight is injected into a pool of sodium hydroxide solution. At slow flow rates wrinkle-to-fold transition takes place along the direction of the flow yielding a banded structure. For greater injection rates we observe coexisting modes of wrinkles and folds which are stabilized to periodic wrinkles when the alkaline concentration is increased. The instabilities are characterized by the scaling laws of the pattern wavelength and amplitude with the tube characteristics. Our experimental adaptation of mechanical instabilities provides a new in situ method to create soft biomaterials with the desired surface morphology without the use of any prefabricated templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Kumar
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials ScienceUniversity of SzegedRerrich Béla tér 1SzegedH-6720Hungary
| | - Cintia Hajdu
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials ScienceUniversity of SzegedRerrich Béla tér 1SzegedH-6720Hungary
| | - Ágota Tóth
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials ScienceUniversity of SzegedRerrich Béla tér 1SzegedH-6720Hungary
| | - Dezső Horváth
- Department of Applied and Environmental ChemistryUniversity of SzegedRerrich Béla tér 1SzegedH-6720Hungary
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11
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Hughes EAB, Jones‐Salkey O, Forey P, Chipara M, Grover LM. Exploring the Formation of Calcium Orthophosphate‐Pyrophosphate Chemical Gardens. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/syst.202000062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik A. B. Hughes
- School of Chemical Engineering University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK
- NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham UK
| | - Owen Jones‐Salkey
- School of Chemical Engineering University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK
| | - Prescillia Forey
- Ensaia Université De Lorraine 34 Cours Léopold, CS 25233 F-54052 Nancy France
| | - Miruna Chipara
- School of Chemical Engineering University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK
| | - Liam M. Grover
- School of Chemical Engineering University of Birmingham Birmingham B15 2TT UK
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12
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Spanoudaki D, Brau F, De Wit A. Oscillatory budding dynamics of a chemical garden within a co-flow of reactants. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:1684-1693. [PMID: 33416815 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05668e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The oscillatory growth of chemical gardens is studied experimentally in the budding regime using a co-flow of two reactant solutions within a microfluidic reactor. The confined environment of the reactor tames the erratic budding growth and the oscillations leave their imprint with the formation of orderly spaced membranes on the precipitate surface. The average wavelength of the spacing between membranes, the growth velocity of the chemical garden and the oscillations period are measured as a function of the velocity of each reactant. By means of materials characterization techniques, the micro-morphology and the chemical composition of the precipitate are explored. A mathematical model is developed to explain the periodic rupture of droplets delimitated by a shell of precipitate and growing when one reactant is injected into the other. The predictions of this model are in good agreement with the experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Spanoudaki
- Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Faculté des Sciences, Non Linear Physical Chemistry Unit, C. P. 231, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Fabian Brau
- Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Faculté des Sciences, Non Linear Physical Chemistry Unit, C. P. 231, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - A De Wit
- Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Faculté des Sciences, Non Linear Physical Chemistry Unit, C. P. 231, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
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