Dual-Stimulus Programmed Multiphase Separation and Organization in Coacervate Droplets.

ABSTRACT: Stimuli-responsive (multiphase) coacervates deserve significant attention as cell-like entities that can adapt to their environment and undergo morphological reconfiguration. In this study, a tandem-triggered transition system is presented that enables the transformation of single-phase coacervates into multiphase structures through the sequential application of two external stimuli: pH and salt concentration. A polyanion containing acid-labile amide bond is incorporated into the membrane-less coacervates. Upon exposure to an acidic pH, hydrolysis of the amide bond induces charge reversal from polyanion to polycation, triggering the first transition from single-phase to nested multiphase coacervates. This transformation alters the spatial redistribution and viscosity of coacervate componen

SUBMITTER: Zhou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12462745 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature