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Dynamic modulation of external conditions can transform chemistry into logic gates
Matthew Egbert1,2, Jean-Sébastien Gagnon3, Juan Pérez-Mercader4
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
|July 27, 2018
Summary
This study presents a novel method to engineer chemical systems into logical operators using open-loop dynamic regulation. The technique successfully transforms a chemical reaction into a functional NAND gate, applicable to biological systems.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Engineering
- Systems Biology
- Computational Chemistry
Background:
- Chemical systems can exhibit complex dynamics.
- Controlling these dynamics to perform logical operations is a significant challenge.
- Existing methods for chemical computation often require complex feedback mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new method for transforming chemical systems into logical operators.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of open-loop dynamic regulation for chemical computation.
- To adapt existing chemical models for signal manipulation tasks.
Main Methods:
- Development of an open-loop dynamic regulation strategy.
- Modulation of external conditions (feed-rate, lighting) based on a predefined temporal sequence.
- Application of the method to a didactic model and a cubic autocatalytic reaction (Selkov-Gray-Scott model).
Main Results:
- Successful transformation of a chemical system into a logical operator (NAND gate).
- Demonstration of the method's efficacy using a well-stirred cubic autocatalytic reaction.
- Validation of the open-loop control approach for chemical signal manipulation.
Conclusions:
- Open-loop dynamic regulation is a viable method for creating chemical logical operators.
- The proposed technique offers a new pathway for chemical computation and signal processing.
- The method shows potential applicability in biological and other complex systems.
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