Magnetic-Field-Manipulated Growth of Flow-Driven Precipitate Membrane Tubes

Chemobrionics is an emerging scientific field focusing on the coupling of chemical reactions and different forms of motion, that is, transport processes. Numerous phenomena appearing in various gradient fields, for example, pH, concentration, temperature, and so on, are thoroughly investigated to mimic living systems in which spatial separation plays a major role in proper functioning. In this context, chemical garden experiments have received increased attention because they inherently involve membrane formation and various transport processes. In this work, a noninvasive external magnetic field was applied to gain control over the directionality of membrane structures obtained by injecting one reactant solution into the other in a three-dimensional domain. The geometry of the resulted patterns was quantitatively characterized as a function of the injection rate and the magnitude of magnetic induction. The magnetic field was proven to influence the microstructure of precipitate tubes by diminishing spatial defects.