Nucleation of Chemically Active Droplets

Reaction-Driven Diffusiophoresis of Liquid Condensates: Potential Mechanisms for Intracellular Organization

“…Complex coacervates formed by charged polymers or proteins can mimic the fluid-like properties of membraneless organelles and can be engineered to involve or catalyze chemical reactions. ,− Typically, their involvement in biochemical reactions keeps the organelles out of equilibrium, aiding to control their size and to suppress coalescence. , Theoretically, these phenomena can be explained by the use of minimal models that feature phase separation in combination with simple reaction cycles. For instance, in a phase separating system, whose components can switch between hydrophilic and hydrophobic by driven reactions, coalescence arrests at a finite size of droplets, introducing a length scale. − Chemical reaction cycles further have been demonstrated to influence nucleation dynamics , or can even divide condensates. − Catalytic properties for reactions of organelles in finite domains have also been shown to introduce positioning and self-propulsion …”

“…For instance, in a phase separating system, whose components can switch between hydrophilic and hydrophobic by driven reactions, coalescence arrests at a finite size of droplets, introducing a length scale. 30 − 32 Chemical reaction cycles further have been demonstrated to influence nucleation dynamics 33 , 34 or can even divide condensates. 35 − 38 Catalytic properties for reactions of organelles in finite domains have also been shown to introduce positioning and self-propulsion.…”