Generation of Chemobrionic Jellyfish-Like Structures That Mechanically Divide and Exhibit Biomimetic “Symbiosis”

Abstract

Addition of CaCl₂ into a highly alkaline phosphate buffer results in the generation of submerged transparent chemobrionic bubbles mimicking jellyfish that are stable and malleable. A compartmentalized O₂-generating reaction triggered the growth of regular vertical chemical gardens from the bubble through a gas micro-rocket propelled mechanism. The bubbles can mechanically separate to yield two daughter bubbles in a process reminiscent of cytokinesis or natural jellyfish regeneration, and then re-grow through new injection of CaCl₂. Finally, loading of E. coli bacteria genetically engineered to exert green fluorescence inside the bubbles was demonstrated in a biomimetic analogue of “symbiosis”.