Chemical pumps and flexible sheets spontaneously form self-regulating oscillators in solution.

ABSTRACT: The synchronization of self-oscillating systems is vital to various biological functions, from the coordinated contraction of heart muscle to the self-organization of slime molds. Through modeling, we design bioinspired materials systems that spontaneously form shape-changing self-oscillators, which communicate to synchronize both their temporal and spatial behavior. Here, catalytic reactions at the bottom of a fluid-filled chamber and on mobile, flexible sheets generate the energy to "pump" the surrounding fluid, which also transports the immersed sheets. The sheets exert a force on the fluid that modifies the flow, which in turn affects the shape and movement of the flexible sheets. This feedback enables a single coated (active) and even an uncoated (passive) sheet to undergo self-oscill

SUBMITTER: Manna RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7999875 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature