HKUST study shows flux pathway speeds LLPS to seconds
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- HKUST researchers used a custom‑built simulation platform tracking over one million charged particles to model the entire liquid‑liquid phase separation (LLPS) process from start to finish.
- Flux pathway that mimics mussel glue creates an electrochemical superhighway, causing the condensed domain to grow with a t^(2/3) scaling rather than the classical t^(1/3).
- Simulation results show a half‑centimeter adhesive droplet forms in just 10 seconds via the flux pathway, whereas conventional mixing would take more than 47 years.
- Nature Communications published the study titled "Mixing protocols determine liquid–liquid phase separation dynamics in polyelectrolyte complex coacervation".
- Prof. Chen Shensheng said the findings provide a practical blueprint for instant, biocompatible surgical glues and programmable smart materials.
- Physical Review Letters 2023 paper by Chen’s team first challenged classical droplet coarsening theory for charged polymers, laying groundwork for the new flux‑pathway mechanism.
Why it matters: The discovery provides surgeons and biomedical engineers a practical blueprint for instant, biocompatible adhesives and programmable smart materials, expanding the options for medical applications and advanced material engineering, while highlighting a new fast‑assembly mechanism that challenges classical LLPS theory in medicine.
