论文标题
刚度梯度中液滴成熟的理论
Theory of droplet ripening in stiffness gradients
论文作者
论文摘要
液 - 液相分离是将细胞细胞质分隔的重要机制，从而使生存所需的组件的动态组织的动态组织。但是，尚不清楚相位分离如何受细胞内部复杂的粘弹性环境的影响。在这里，我们从理论上研究刚度梯度如何影响液滴生长和排列。我们表明，刚度梯度意味着稀释相中的浓度梯度，该梯度将液滴材料从刚性转移到软区域。因此，液滴溶解在僵硬的区域中，形成溶解前面。使用平均场理论，我们预测前面会出现在弹性曲线曲线较大的曲率较大并扩散地传播的位置。这种弹性成熟的速度可能比经典的Ostwald成熟速度快得多，从而推动了动力学。我们的工作表明，弹性性能中的梯度如何控制液滴的大小和排列，该液滴在软物质物理学中具有潜在的应用，并在生物细胞中起作用。
Liquid-liquid phase separation is an important mechanism for compartmentalizing the cell's cytoplasm, allowing the dynamic organization of the components necessary for survival. However, it is not clear how phase separation is affected by the complex viscoelastic environment inside the cell. Here, we study theoretically how stiffness gradients influence droplet growth and arrangement. We show that stiffness gradients imply concentration gradients in the dilute phase, which transport droplet material from stiff to soft regions. Consequently, droplets dissolve in the stiff region, creating a dissolution front. Using a mean-field theory, we predict that the front emerges where the curvature of the elasticity profile is large and that it propagates diffusively. This elastic ripening can occur at much faster rates than classical Ostwald ripening, thus driving the dynamics. Our work shows how gradients in elastic properties control the size and arrangement of droplets, which has potential applications in soft matter physics and plays a role inside biological cells.
