Fatty acid droplet self-division driven by a chemical reaction.
Division of a millimeter-sized and compartmentalized fatty acid droplet is triggered by a chemical pH clock reaction operating on the ten-second time scale. The autonomous pH change inside the compartment translates into the deprotonation of the fatty acid molecules, leading to a negative interfacial tension at the water-oil interface inside the droplet. This phenomenon induces the expansion of the droplet, which is followed by its division into daughter droplets governed by the Plateau-Rayleigh instability.
ELTE-HAS "Lendulet" Biophysics Research Group, Department of Biological Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1111, Hungary.
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D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D011522:Protons; D013500:Surface Tension; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D005227:Fatty Acids; D009821:Oils; D011522:Protons; D014867:Water