Local composition controls pattern formation in conserved active emulsions
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866914405824856064 |
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| author | Raßhofer, Florian Frey, Erwin |
| author_facet | Raßhofer, Florian Frey, Erwin |
| contents | Phase separation in passive systems leads to uncontrolled droplet growth, limiting structural control in soft materials and cells. We identify a generic mechanism to arrest coarsening based on chemical interconversion between molecular species with different diffusivities. Sharp-interface theory and simulations show that when the faster-diffusing species becomes enriched inside droplets, composition gradients emerge that oppose mass influx. This transport asymmetry stabilizes droplet sizes even without interaction asymmetries, offering a minimal route to regulate structure formation in active emulsions. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_17608 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Local composition controls pattern formation in conserved active emulsions Raßhofer, Florian Frey, Erwin Soft Condensed Matter Phase separation in passive systems leads to uncontrolled droplet growth, limiting structural control in soft materials and cells. We identify a generic mechanism to arrest coarsening based on chemical interconversion between molecular species with different diffusivities. Sharp-interface theory and simulations show that when the faster-diffusing species becomes enriched inside droplets, composition gradients emerge that oppose mass influx. This transport asymmetry stabilizes droplet sizes even without interaction asymmetries, offering a minimal route to regulate structure formation in active emulsions. |
| title | Local composition controls pattern formation in conserved active emulsions |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.17608 |