Controlled one dimensional oscillation of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction confined within microchannels

Abstract

The Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction was performed in microdroplets confined in rectangular microchannels. In addition to producing one-dimensional waves, the reaction showed an increase in oscillation frequency thought to be mainly due to bromine diffusion out of the microdroplets. We found that surfactant loaded mineral oil can be used as an encapsulation agent to not only extend the stable reaction time from 200 s to approximately 800 s, but more importantly to further extend the one-dimensional wave formation from ∼15 s to 800 s.