Interplay between Kinetics and Dynamics of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in a Protein Solution Revealed by Coherent X-ray Spectroscopy

Microscopic dynamics of complex fluids in the early stage of spinodal decomposition (SD) is strongly intertwined with the kinetics of structural evolution, which makes a quantitative characterization challenging. In this work, we use X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy to study the dynamics and kinetics of a protein solution undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). We demonstrate that in the early stage of SD, the kinetics relaxation is up to 40 times slower than the dynamics and thus can be decoupled. The microscopic dynamics can be well described by hyper-diffusive ballistic motions with a relaxation time exponentially growing with time in the early stage followed by a power-law increase with fluctuations. These experimental results are further supported by simulations based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation. The established framework is applicable to other condensed matter and biological systems undergoing phase transitions and may also inspire further theoretical work.

Automated summary

The study investigates the dynamics and kinetics of a protein solution undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. It is found that in the early stage of spinodal decomposition, the kinetics relaxation is significantly slower than the dynamics and can be decoupled. The microscopic dynamics are well described by hyper-diffusive ballistic motions with relaxation time exponentially growing with time in the early stage followed by a power-law increase with fluctuations.