Convection cells in thin electrolytic films

The adhesion of biomembranes may display regular patterns even in the absence of specialized contact sites. In particular, recent experiments show that charged lipid vesicles adhere to an oppositely charged substrate forming blisters. Patterns in the thin aqueous electrolyte film confined between membranes can be appropriately described through an electro-hydrodynamics approach. By solving the corresponding equations numerically, we show that, when steady non-homogeneous patterns are established, the electrolyte flows in convective motion forming well structured cells.