Fig. 6: Writing the timeline inside coacervates.
From: Recent advances in coacervate protocells from passive catalysts to chemically programmable systems
a ATP-producing active droplets. (I) Schematic: pyruvate kinase (PyK) uses phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to convert adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP); ATP coacervates with the cationic protein K72, so a single fuel pulse writes a growth–dwell–return trajectory. (II) Data: droplet radius vs time under three stepwise PEP pulses shows replayable/rewritable growth plateaus (lifetime stored between pulses). Reproduced with permission22. Copyright 2021, Springer Nature. b Dynamic covalent ON/OFF (schematic). Imine formation writes ON; a parallel aldol reaction that consumes the aldehyde writes OFF; batch/continuous/pulsed feeding tunes lifetime and enables replay. Reproduced with permission77. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH.
