Filament dynamics in vertical confined chemical gardens

Area of Science:

• Chemical reactions
• Fluid dynamics
• Materials science

Background:

• Chemical gardens form complex, filament-like structures.
• Hele-Shaw cells confine fluid flow for controlled experiments.
• Buoyancy can significantly influence growth dynamics in vertical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• Adapt horizontal Hele-Shaw cell methods to a vertical configuration.
• Investigate the impact of buoyancy on chemical garden filament growth.
• Model the motion of a single filament tip.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a vertical Hele-Shaw cell setup.
• Developed a model for filament tip motion.
• Incorporated internal pressure and precipitate concentration into the model.

Main Results:

• The model accurately predicts chemical garden filament growth.
• Buoyancy was successfully introduced as a factor in vertical growth.
• Sodium silicate concentration influences growth even in stoichiometric excess.

Conclusions:

• Vertical Hele-Shaw cells enable buoyancy studies in chemical gardens.
• The developed model provides insight into filament dynamics.
• Host solution concentration is a critical, often overlooked, growth parameter.