Logical and arithmetic circuits in Belousov-Zhabotinsky encapsulated disks.

Excitation waves on a subexcitable Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) substrate can be manipulated by chemical variations in the substrate and by interactions with other waves. Symbolic assignment and interpretation of wave dynamics can be used to perform logical and arithmetic computations. We present chemical analogs of elementary logic and arithmetic circuits created entirely from interconnected arrangements of individual BZ encapsulated cell-like disk. Interdisk wave migration is confined in carefully positioned connecting pores. This connection limits wave expansion and unifies the input-output characteristic of the disks. Circuit designs derived from numeric simulations are optically encoded onto a homogeneous photosensitive BZ substrate.