https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-024-00405-y
Regular Article - Living Systems
Mechanosensitivity of phase separation in an elastic gel
1
Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
2
Carbon Blue Ltd., 3303201, Haifa, Israel
Received:
3
October
2023
Accepted:
2
January
2024
Published online:
20
February
2024
Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in binary or multi-component solutions is a well-studied subject in soft matter with extensive applications in biological systems. In recent years, several experimental studies focused on LLPS of solutes in hydrated gels, where the formation of coexisting domains induces elastic deformations within the gel. While the experimental studies report unique physical characteristics of these systems, such as sensitivity to mechanical forces and stabilization of multiple, periodic phase-separated domains, the theoretical understanding of such systems and the role of long-range interactions have not emphasized the nonlinear nature of the equilibrium binodal for strong segregation of the solute. In this paper, we formulate a generic, mean-field theory of a hydrated gel in the presence of an additional solute which changes the elastic properties of the gel. We derive equations for the equilibrium binodal of the phase separation of the solvent and solute and show that the deformations induced by the solute can result in effective long-range interactions between phase-separating solutes that can either enhance or, in the case of externally applied pressure, suppress phase separation of the solute relative to the case where there is no gel. This causes the coexisting concentrations at the binodal to depend on the system-wide average concentration, in contrast to the situation for phase separation in the absence of the gel.
This paper is submitted for the Festschrift in honor of Prof. Philip Pincus. His impact on soft matter science and scientists is unique in its breadth and depth at the international scale. We are both indebted to Fyl for more than we can express.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-024-00405-y.
© The Author(s) 2024
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