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Science 3 November 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5800, pp. 798 - 801
DOI: 10.1126/science.1132412
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Reports

Pattern Formation and Shape Changes in Self-Oscillating Polymer Gels

Victor V. Yashin and Anna C. Balazs*

We developed an efficient model for responsive gels that captures large-scale, two-dimensional (2D) deformations and chemical reactions within a swollen polymer network. The 2D calculations allowed us to probe not only volume changes but also changes in sample shape. By focusing on gels undergoing the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, we observed traveling waves of local swelling that form a rich variety of dynamic patterns and give rise to distinctive oscillations in the gel's shape. The observed patterns depend critically on the gel's dimensions. The approach provides a useful computational tool for probing the dynamics of chemomechanical processes and uncovering morphological transformations in responsive gels.

Chemical Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: balazs1{at}engr.pitt.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Pattern Selection in Plants: Coupling Chemical Dynamics to Surface Growth in Three Dimensions.
D. M. Holloway and L. G. Harrison (2008)
Ann. Bot. 101, 361-374
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)