The Generation and Study of a Gold‐Based Chemobrionic Plant‐Like Structure

Abstract

The generation of chemical gardens based on tetrachloroauric acid and silicate is presented. The structures were studied with SEM, XRD and micro‐Raman spectroscopy and a new mechanism that participates in their development was revealed. Specifically, the structures were decorated with metallic Au that is derived during the process of plant‐like growth. Probably, the instability of gold salts and hydroxides on silica templates accounts for their reduction to metallic Au.

Dark-induced vertical growth of chemobrionic architectures in silver-based precipitating chemical gardens

“…[23][24][25][26] Gold-based chemical gardens were very recently reported. 27 There is no similar report on silver-based chemical gardens as of yet. Most silver compounds are extremely light sensitive due to which silver-based chemobrionic structures are not obtainable following conventional growth conditions, viz.…”

Downward fingering accompanies upward tube growth in a chemical garden grown in a vertical confined geometry

“…Classical experiments of 3D gardens grown from a seed are still carried out by many scholars and have produced a lot of important results. [68][69][70][71][72] Typically, the procedure involves placing a seed crystal of metal salt at the bottom of the vessel and filling it with solution. Thereafter, precipitation occurs around the seed and forms a semi-permeable membrane, and we will then observe tubular filaments just like the upward-growing tubes reported in this paper.…”

Self‐Sustained Marangoni Flows Driven by Chemical Reactions**

“…[3] As a hallmark of life, these processes occur under out-of-equilibrium conditions, and are maintained by dissipation of energy via chemical reactions. Over the past decade, many synthetic systems have been built to emulate these out-of-equilibrium dynamics [4,5] in matter with life-like properties, exemplified by reaction networks that display circadian oscillations, [6][7][8] adaptive responses, [9] self-assembled structures with transient properties mediated by chemical reactions, [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] or patterns [19][20][21][22][23] that selforganize from homogeneous start conditions. These phenomena are typically established in solution and rely on the delivery of chemical reagents by external flow, diffusion, [24] or convection.…”