Communication between hydrogel beads via chemical signalling. Jaggers, R., W. & Bon, S., A., F. J. Mater. Chem. B, 5:8681-8685, 2017.
Communication between hydrogel beads via chemical signalling [pdf]Paper  Communication between hydrogel beads via chemical signalling [link]Website  doi  abstract   bibtex   1 download  
In this work, we demonstrate chemical communication between millimetre-sized soft hydrogel beads in an aqueous environment. Silver cations (Ag+) and the Ag+ chelator dithiothreitol (DTT) are used as signalling molecules. By exploiting their interplay, we conduct a series of ‘conversations’ between millimetre-sized beads. The communication process is monitored by tracking the response and behaviour of a central bead. This bead is loaded with the enzyme urease and has the ability to undergo a change in colour associated with a change in pH. Competitive communication between three beads, whereby the central bead receives two competing signals from two senders, is shown. We believe that our hydrogel-based system demonstrates an advance in the communication capabilities of small soft matter objects.

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