Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help
BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 32: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems III (joint session BP/DY)
BP 32.1: Talk
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 15:00–15:15, BAR/SCHÖ
Efficiency of Droplet Formation and Dissolution by Chemical Reactions — •Gerrit Wellecke1,2, Riccardo Rossetto1,2, Jan Kirschbaum1, and David Zwicker1 — 1Theory of Biological Fluids, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Am Faßberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany — 2University of Göttingen, Institute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Droplets formed by phase separation are vital for intracellular organization, and cells often control the formation and dissolution of these droplets through chemical reactions. To understand how cells can influence droplets in space and time, we consider a ternary system that exhibits a bistability between homogeneous and phase-separated states. We use a thermodynamically consistent approach to describe the diffusive and reactive dynamics, which allows us to quantify the energy dissipation and entropy production during transitions between these states. We find that reaction-controlled droplet formation and dissolution in the bistable regime are fundamentally different processes. While droplet formation is generally aided by relaxation to equilibrium, we find that a droplet's size determines whether it is best dissolved internally or externally. Further, our model identifies plausible mechanisms by which cells may regulate their intracellular droplets, providing insights that could guide the development of synthetic soft matter systems with tunable droplet behaviour.
Keywords: phase separation; biomolecular condensates; chemical reactions