The development of autonomous chemical systems that could imitate the properties of living matter, is a challenging problem at the meeting point of materials science and nonequilibrium chemistry. Here we design a multi-channel gel reactor in which out-of-equilibrium conditions are maintained by antagonistic chemical gradients. Our device is a rectangular hydrogel with two or more channels for the flows of separated reactants, which diffuse into the gel to react. The relative position of the channels acts as geometric control parameters, while the concentrations of the chemicals in the channels and the variable composition of the hydrogel, which affects the diffusivity of the chemicals, can be used as chemical control parameters. This flexibility allows finding easily the optimal conditions for the development of nonequilibrium phenomena. We demonstrate this straightforward operation by generating diverse spatiotemporal patterns in different chemical reactions. The use of additional channels can create interacting reaction zones.

在材料科学和非平衡化学的交汇点上，开发可以模仿生命物质特性的自主化学系统是一个具有挑战性的问题。在这里，我们设计了一个多通道凝胶反应器，其中通过拮抗化学梯度维持非平衡条件。我们的设备是一种矩形水凝胶，具有两个或多个通道，用于分离反应物的流动，反应物扩散到凝胶中进行反应。通道的相对位置作为几何控制参数，而通道中化学物质的浓度和影响化学物质扩散率的水凝胶的可变组成可用作化学控制参数。这种灵活性允许轻松找到非平衡现象发展的最佳条件。我们通过在不同的化学反应中生成不同的时空模式来证明这种简单的操作。使用额外的通道可以创建相互作用的反应区。