Chaotically accelerated biochemistry in microscale convective flows
Conference Paper
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
While it is intuitive that chemical processes unfold more efficiently when the reagents are stirred, unexpected results can be obtained when the stirring motion introduces elements of chaotic advection. But the underlying interplay between reaction and flow remains poorly understood in chaotic systems, and the "design" rules needed to rationally apply these effects are largely unknown. Here we show how this fundamental coupling can be uniquely exploited at the microscale, where thermal convection generates flow states characterized by the emergence of complex 3D chaotic motion that can act to greatly accelerate thermally activated biochemical processes. These results suggest broad applications for chaotic transport in chemically reacting systems.
