Oscillatory Systems Created with Polymer Membranes

Oscillatory Systems Created with Polymer Membranes 

The initial motivation for studying membrane oscillators was to understand biological processes [6-8]. Model synthetic systems have been constmcted that are simpler than the biological systems they were intended to mimic, and the goal has been to isolate key principles using pared down designs. As often occurs with model systems, however, synthetic membrane oscillators exhibit their own peculiar behaviors, leading to new lines of study. 

Introduction of membranes may, in some cases, lead to more flexibility in the design and study of chemical oscillators. The continuous-stirred tank reactor (CSTR) configuration, which is often used to study chemical oscillators because it maintains reaction and product concentrations away from equilibrium [1, 2], controls the transport of reactants, intermediates, and products by fluid flow, and does not discriminate among species. Membrane selectivity between chemical species can provide a basis for selection of dynamical behaviors that are unavailable with a CSTR. 

For some years, we have entertained the possibility that autonomous membrane oscillations can be used to drive rhythmic release of drugs and hormones in an 

Nonlinear Dynamics with Polymers Fundamentals, Methods and Applications. Edited by John A. Pojman and Qui Tran-Cong-Miyata 

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Siegel, R.A. (2010) Oscillatory systems created with polymer membranes. Nonlinear Dynamics with Polymers, Wiley-Vch Verlag GmbH. 

Oscillatory Systems Created with Polymer Membranes... 

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