Abstract In order to study the property of self-oscillating gels, dissipative structure theory is applied to analyze the oscillating dynamics of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, and Andronov-Hopf bifurcation is adopted for the BZ reaction model to study the occurrence and energy status and periodic change between chemical and mechanical potential; and its complex nonlinear characteristics are the key to the force-chemical coupling behavior of self-oscillating gels. From this study, we find that BZ reaction a typical system that is far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and the extra potential provided from the inputs might cause the system to destabilize, and with the onset of fluctuations, periodic deformation between swelling and deswelling takes place. The study of BZ rection dynamically could aid exploration on adjusting smart/ soft material that exhibits heartbeat-like behaviors