https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2010-01346-4
Minireview
Self-organization processes at active interfaces
1 Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestrasse 2-12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
2 Department of Physics and Institute of Biophysics, National Central University, Jhongli 32001, Taiwan
3 Abteilung Physikalische Chemie, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
a e-mail: mikhailov@fhi-berlin.mpg.de
Received:
22
November
2010
Revised:
23
December
2010
Published online:
18
February
2011
Four examples for active processes at interfaces are studied and reveal complex pattern formation phenomena including complex defect dynamics, standing waves and turbulence, bistability and domain formation and Turing patterns. The examples studied range from active Langmuir monolayers to thin films with floating molecular machines and biomembranes with active proteins. It is shown that linear stability analysis and numerical simulations of the resulting continuum model equations allow to qualitatively reproduce previous experimental observation in some cases and offer intriguing predictions for future investigations in the laboratory.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2011
