Active Particles Destabilize Passive Membranes

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical model describing how active particles interact with passive membranes, revealing activity-induced destabilization and novel mechanical effects consistent with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a new theory explicitly solving for active particle pressure effects on membranes, highlighting activity-driven mechanical modifications and instabilities.

Findings

Active particles reduce membrane tension and bending modulus.

The theory predicts activity-induced membrane instabilities.

Results align with recent experimental and simulation data.

Abstract

We present a theory for the interaction between active particles and a passive flexible membrane. By explicitly solving for the pressure exerted by the active particles, we show that they reduce the membrane tension and bending modulus and introduce novel non-local contributions to the membrane mechanics. This theory predicts activity-induced instabilities and their morphology are in agreement with recent experimental and simulation data.