Pattern Formation in the Mercury Beating Heart System

Abstract

In this work is presented a phenomenological study of the mercury beating heart (MBH) in a configuration of three electrode electrochemical cell, where the mercury drop is the working electrode. We report the occurrence of a traveling wave on the MBH system as result of the chemo-mechanical processes taking place. Under fixed potential conditions the drop changes its shape and rotates simultaneously. Using image processing, it was possible to gain information about angular velocities, changes in perimeter of the drop and periodicities in the spatiotemporal changes observed. Furthermore when a sinusoidal potential is applied, the mercury drop exhibit geometrical shapes and complex surface structures. Here the characterization study was realized by observing a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes of a sinusoidal wave potential signal. As frequency increases, shapes with higher number of peaks and more complex surface structures appear. A possible resonant coupling of some traveling waves, originated by the electrochemical process and shaped by the mercury hydrodynamic, results in these complexes surface structures.