Oscillatory dynamics of the Belousov–Zhabotinsky system in thepresence of a self-assembling nonionic polymer. Role of thereactants concentration

In the present study, the role played by the reactants concentration on the nonlinear responseof a Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) system to the addition of a self-assembling non-ionic polymer,poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), has been assessed. The oscillatory parameters are influencedto an extent that significantly depends on the concentration of both the polymer and theBelousov–Zhabotinsky components. The effects obtained were attributed to the reactionamong some of the BZ key species and the backbone and the alcoholic functional groupsof the polymer, both in its monomeric and aggregated forms.Support to the proposed perturbation mechanism has been provided by performing numericalsimulations with the MBM model and by characterizing the physicochemical behavior of the PEGaqueous solution by means of viscosimetric and spectrofluorimetric measurements.