2005/07/27 by Peter Hantz, Péter Hantz, Hantz, Peter +3
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Solidification and crystal growth phenomena #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #nanoparticles nucleation surface interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/0507639
arxiv created 2005/07/27 · openalex publication_date 2005/07/27 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The formation of regular precipitate stripes in the wake of moving chemical reaction-diffusion fronts is investigated. Experiments on the NaOH+CuCl2 reaction in PVA hydrogel yield stripes parallel or slightly oblique to the front that supplies the precursor of the precipitate. The pattern formation was modeled by phase separation described by the Cahn-Hilliard Equation. Computer simulations reproduced the parallel and the oblique striping as well. Stripes perpendicular to the front are unstable and cannot be observed, in complete agree with the experiments. Pattern formation in the wake of quenching fronts has also been investigated computationally, and compared to the previous results. It has been shown that below a certain front speed stripes perpendicular to the front will appear. Moreover, they will bend so that their growing end to be kept perpendicular even if the front changes its direction. This result can be important in designing several nanotechnologica lithographical processes.