Predator–prey interactions between droplets driven by non-reciprocal oil exchange

Meredith, Caleb H.; Moerman, Pepijn G.; Groenewold, Jan; Chiu, Yu Jen; Kegel, Willem K.; Blaaderen, Alfons van; Zarzar, Lauren D.

doi:10.1038/s41557-020-00575-0

Cited by 151 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In the case of active droplets, motion is typically driven by interfacial tension gradients and Marangoni flows induced by interfacial reactions 5,6 or by micelle-mediated solubilization, a process wherein the droplet contents are transferred into the continuous micellar phase 7 . It has been proposed that the solubilizate-surfactant interactions and the "filling" of the surfactant micelles correspond to increased interfacial tensions at the droplet surface, and thus droplets propel towards regions of "empty" micelles 2,8,9 . For an isotropic droplet to move via chemotaxis, asymmetry in the chemical gradient across the droplet surface must be maintained, such as by feedback processes involving advective transport dominating over diffusion (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interfacially-adsorbed particles enhance the self-propulsion of oil droplets in aqueous surfactant

et al. 2021

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interfacially-adsorbed particles enhance the self-propulsion of oil droplets in aqueous surfactant

et al. 2021

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“…Octanol-filled micelles are larger than empty micelles (Supplementary Figure 6 ). Because of this uptake of octanol by lipid micelles, the distribution of the lipids at the droplet interface is disrupted, and a gradient of interfacial tension appears, which makes the droplet move—a process that generally is referred to as Marangoni propulsion 40 – 46 . When motile, the droplets are away from equilibrium, and eventually they stop once there are no longer enough empty micelles to take up octanol.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceleration of lipid reproduction by emergence of microscopic motion

et al. 2021

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Self-reproducing molecules abound in nature where they support growth and motion of living systems. In artificial settings, chemical reactions can also show complex kinetics of reproduction, however integrating self-reproducing molecules into larger chemical systems remains a challenge towards achieving higher order functionality. Here, we show that self-reproducing lipids can initiate, sustain and accelerate the movement of octanol droplets in water. Reciprocally, the chemotactic movement of the octanol droplets increases the rate of lipid reproduction substantially. Reciprocal coupling between bond-forming chemistry and droplet motility is thus established as an effect of the interplay between molecular-scale events (the self-reproduction of lipid molecules) and microscopic events (the chemotactic movement of the droplets). This coupling between molecular chemistry and microscopic motility offers alternative means of performing work and catalysis in micro-heterogeneous environments.

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“…Controlling the chemistry of such reaction-driven Marangoni flows becomes then an interesting approach to achieve complex behavior at air-water interfaces and within organic droplets [40][41][42] . Such insight is also useful to develop applications where Marangoni flows are used for propulsion 43,44 , self-assembly direction [45][46][47] or to design systems with Marangonibased feedback mechanisms 48 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-sustained Marangoni Flows Driven by Chemical Reactions

Nguindjel¹,

Korevaar

2021

Preprint

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Out-of-equilibrium chemical systems, comprising reaction networks and molecular self-assembly pathways, rely on the delivery of reagents. Rather than via external flow, diffusion or convection, we aim at self-sustained reagent delivery. Therefore, we explore how the coupling of Marangoni flow with chemical reactions can generate self-sustained flows, driven by said chemical reactions, and – in turn – sustained by the delivery of reagents for this reaction. We combine a photoacid generator with a pH-responsive surfactant, such that local UV exposure decreases the pH, increases the surface tension and triggers the emergence of a Marangoni flow. We study the impact of reagent concentrations and identify threshold conditions at which flow can emerge. Surprisingly, we unraveled an antagonistic influence of the reagents on key features of the flow such as interfacial velocity and duration, and rationalize these findings via a kinetic model. Our study displays the potential of reaction-driven flow to establish autonomous control in fuel delivery of out-of-equilibrium systems.

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Predator–prey interactions between droplets driven by non-reciprocal oil exchange

Cited by 151 publications

References 36 publications

Interfacially-adsorbed particles enhance the self-propulsion of oil droplets in aqueous surfactant

Interfacially-adsorbed particles enhance the self-propulsion of oil droplets in aqueous surfactant

Acceleration of lipid reproduction by emergence of microscopic motion

Self-sustained Marangoni Flows Driven by Chemical Reactions

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