Formation and growth of lithium phosphate chemical gardens

Abstract

We show that a chemical garden can be developed from an alkaline metal precipitate using a flow-driven setup. By injecting sodium phosphate solution into lithium chloride solution from below, a...

Collective motion of self-propelled chemical garden tubes

“…Contemporary research has identified several other growth regimes, 3,4 quantified the underlying dynamics, 5 and greatly expanded the range of product materials to include insoluble metal sulfides, 6 carbonates, 7 phosphates 8,9 as well as polyoxometalates, 10,11 and even hydrogels. 12 Furthermore, technical applications are being explored as inexpensive absorbent/catalytic materials to fight chemical spills, 13 sensor-platforms for microfluidics, 14 and biomimetic scaffolds for the growth of osteoblasts.…”

Flow-driven synthesis of calcium phosphate–calcium alginate hybrid chemical gardens

“…[5][6][7] Flow-injection systems provide a convenient control of the various growth types and dynamical activities. [8][9][10][11][12][13] Most of the underlying self-assembled architectures have been explored by utilizing a wide range of inorganic materials, including even alkali 14 or light-sensitive metal ions. 15 However, the self-organization of pure organic garden architectures is not much explored; it is limited to a few investigations, e.g., formation of iron(III) oleate in organic solvents, 16 instabilities of tubular chitosan hydrogels, 17,18 and alginate coiling.…”

Petrified Chemical Gardens

“…The breadth of chemical garden materials is extremely diverse, including metal (hydr)­oxides, sulfides, carbonates, borates, and phosphates as well as polyoxometalates and organic polymers. ,− Moreover, some of these precipitates are major constituents of the chimney-like structures in hydrothermal vent fields and have been implicated in the origins-of-life as a result of their porous and catalytic nature. Possible naturally occurring chemical gardens have also been discussed as potential sources for the misidentification of Earth’s earliest microfossils , and could, in a similar fashion, complicate the search for remnants of life on Mars and moons with water–rock interfaces, such as Europa and Enceladus .…”