Pattern Formation in Homogeneous and Micro-Structured Chemical Systems

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Oliver Steinbock of Florida State University is supported by the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to examine pattern information in homogeneous and micro-structured chemical systems, and to develop novel experimental methodologies for control of the underlying spatial coupling. The chemical origins of the anomalous dispersion in the 1,4-cyclohexanedione Belousov-Zhabotinsky (CHD-BZ) reaction will be investigated, and the results utilize to formulate a reaction model capable of reproducing experimental observations from stirred reaction systems. Combined numerical and experimental approaches will be used to distill the characteristic features of spatially extended media, and also to analyze the interplay of attractive and repulsive interactions between traveling oxidation pulses and the resulting shock-like front dynamics. In other studies, the CHD-BZ reaction will serve as a model for chemical self-organization in large arrays of coupled micro-reactors. Recently developed methodologies, such as soft photolithography, will be applied for construction of custom-made arrays in which each reactor will hold a polymer-bound CHD-BZ volume of less than 100 picoliters. These reactor arrays will be employed to examine a broad spectrum of chemical instabilities that give rise to novel wave structures and Turing-like patterns. Results are expected to lead to experimental strategies to control reactions on micro-patterned reactor chips and a thorough understanding of the rules that govern spatial coupling of localized "lab-on-a-chip" processes. Ultimately, the outcomes will contribute valuable information for systematic exploration of compartmentalized reaction-transport systems of the sort that are successfully exploited by living matter for a variety of complex syntheses and sensors. This research project is highly interdisciplinary because its fundamental results will aid in the analysis of complex systems in biology and elsewhere. In particular, the outcomes will impact the diverse fields of neurophysiology, engineering, and statistical physics. Moreover, the development and fabrication of spatially coupled micro-reactor arrays is expected to have promise for future applications in advanced combinatorial chemistry. The manufactured reactor arrays will be made broadly available to other research groups for their use.