Dynamics of chemically active membranes

We numerically study the dynamics of a chemically active membrane in a reactive solvent. Catalytic sites on the membrane decompose the reagents present in the fluid and thus create a local chemical gradient. In this self-generated gradient, the membrane spontaneously undergoes a wiggling motion that, in turn, results in the directed movement of the membrane. We quantify the dynamics of the moving membrane, studying the effects of hydrodynamic interactions and an externally imposed gradients. Our results show novel membrane oscillations, which could be used to design chemically-powered autonomous films with specific applications.