Dynamics of Immiscible DNA Droplet Assemblies

The sequence-specificity of DNA binding enables the creation of many immiscible phase-separated droplet species. In such a system, two droplets can coalesce if they belong to the same species, but will otherwise interact as hard-sphere colloids. Our synthetic multi-phase system has the ability to form a densely packed 2-D layer of droplets which is transiently stabilized by local caging. At this stage, the system is jammed and exhibits dynamic heterogeneity. Nonetheless, rare coalescence events do still occur, enabling the system to slowly unpack itself and fluidize.