The intertwined physics of active chemical reactions and phase separation |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Materials Science, International Institute of Intelligent Nanorobots and Nanosystems, State Key Laboratory of ASIC and Systems, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China;2. Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu 322000, Zhejiang, PR China;3. Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Intelligent Optoelectronics and Perception, Institute of Optoelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China;1. Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;3. Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;1. Física Teórica, Universidad de Sevilla, Apdo. 1065, 41080 Sevilla, Spain;2. Instituto Carlos I de Física Teórica y Computacional, 18071 Granada, Spain;3. Max-Planck-Institut für Intelligente Systeme, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Phase separation is the thermodynamic process that explains how droplets form in multicomponent fluids. These droplets can provide controlled compartments to localize chemical reactions, and reactions can also affect the droplets' dynamics. This review focuses on the tight interplay between phase separation and chemical reactions, which originates from thermodynamic constraints. In particular, simple mass action kinetics cannot describe chemical reactions since phase separation requires non-ideal fluids. Instead, thermodynamics implies that passive chemical reactions reduce the complexity of phase diagrams and provide only limited control over the system's behavior. However, driven chemical reactions, which use external energy input to create spatial fluxes, can circumvent thermodynamic constraints. Such active systems can suppress typical droplet coarsening, control droplet size, and localize droplets. This review provides an extensible framework for describing active chemical reactions in phase separating systems, which forms a basis for improving control in technical applications and understanding self-organized structures in biological cells. |
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| Keywords: | Active droplets Non-equilibrium thermodynamics Pattern formation Active matter Biomolecular condensates |
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