Collective chemomechanical oscillations in active hydrogels

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Blanc, Baptiste; Agyapong, Johnson N.; Hunter, Ian; Galas, Jean-Christophe; Fernandez-Nieves, Alberto; Fraden, Seth
• 署名单位: Sorbonne Universite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); University of Barcelona; Brandeis University; Syracuse University; University of Barcelona; ICREA
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12144
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313258121
• 发表日期: 2024-02-06
• 关键词: belousov-zhabotinsky reaction; Synchronization; BEHAVIOR

摘要

We report on the collective response of an assembly of chemomechanical BelousovZhabotinsky (BZ) hydrogel beads. We first demonstrate that a single isolated spherical BZ hydrogel bead with a radius below a critical value does not oscillate, whereas an assembly of the same BZ hydrogel beads presents chemical oscillation. A BZ chemical model with an additional flux of chemicals out of the BZ hydrogel captures the experimentally observed transition from oxidized nonoscillating to oscillating BZ hydrogels and shows this transition is due to a flux of inhibitors out of the BZ hydrogel. The model also captures the role of neighboring BZ hydrogel beads in decreasing the critical size for an assembly of BZ hydrogel beads to oscillate. We finally leverage the quorum sensing behavior of the collective to trigger their chemomechanical oscillation and discuss how this collective effect can be used to enhance the oscillatory strain of these active BZ hydrogels. These findings could help guide the eventual fabrication of a swarm of autonomous, communicating, and motile hydrogels.