Synchronization of Two Self-Oscillating Gels Based on Chemo-Mechanical Coupling.

J Phys Chem B

Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.

Published: March 2016

Two coupled polymer gels, showing volume oscillation caused by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, were investigated to understand the system composed of mechanically coupled chemical oscillators. The two gels were connected with a movable plastic sheet in between and placed under constant compression. Synchronization between two identical gels occurred in a range of compression ratios. The phase difference between the two oscillating gels was not zero; instead, they showed alternate swelling-deswelling oscillations. Similar phenomena were also observed with gels of different sizes and natural oscillation periods. The experimental results suggest that a physical change in one gel can lead to a chemical change in the other and vice versa. These results were qualitatively reproduced by a mathematical model based on coupled chemical oscillators.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b00873DOI Listing

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