Bio-inspired flow-driven chitosan chemical gardens

Abstract

Organic chemical gardens of chitosan hydrogel develop upon injecting an acidic chitosan solution into an alkaline solution. Besides complex and budding structures, tubular hydrogel formations develop that exhibit periodic surface patterns. The underlying wrinkling instability is identified by its characteristic wavelength dependence on the diameter of the elastic material formed. The flow-driven conditions allow precise control over the structure that can help the design of soft bio-inspired materials. Our findings can also suggest a new direction in the field of chemobrionics.