title: Reconfigurable assemblies of active, autochemotactic gels.
abstract: Using computational modeling, we show that self-oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels can both emit and sense a chemical signal and thus drive neighboring gel pieces to spontaneously self-aggregate, so that the system exhibits autochemotaxis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the closest system to the ultimate self-recombining material, which can be divided into separated parts and the parts move autonomously to assemble into a structure resembling the original, uncut sample. We also show that the gels' coordinated motion can be controlled by light, allowing us to achieve selective self-aggregation and control over the shape of the gel aggregates. By exposing the BZ gels to specific patterns of light and dark, we design a BZ gel "train" that leads the movement of its "cargo." Our findings pave the way for creating reconfigurable materials from self-propelled elements, which autonomously communicate with neighboring units and thereby actively participate in constructing the final structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Pratyush
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dayal
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuksenok
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Balazs
mesh_terms: D002616:Chemical Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009038:Motion
chemical_list: D005782:Gels