An experimental model for mimicking biological systems: the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction in Lipid membranes

Dynamics of Pattern Formation in Biomimetic Systems

This paper is an attempt to conceptualize pattern formation in self-organizing systems and, in particular, to understand how structures, oscillations or waves arise in a steady and homogenous environment, a phenomenon called symmetry breaking. The route followed to develop these ideas was to couple chemical oscillations produced by Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction with confined reaction environments, the latter being an essential requirement for any process of Life. Special focus was placed on systems showing organic or lipidic compartments, which represent more reliable biomimetic matrices.

Interplay between the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction-diffusion system and biomimetic matrices

Abstract Interactions between reaction–diffusion systems and restricted host environments are a subject of widespread interest. In this work the behaviour of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction was investigated in lamellar phases formed by phospholipid bilayers with relevance for biological systems. The influence of the reactive medium on the structure of the lipid matrix and, in turn, the influence of the matrix on the dynamical evolution of chemical patterns, were studied by small angle scattering.