Issue 10, 2020

How a local active force modifies the structural properties of polymers

Abstract

We study the dynamics of a polymer, described as a variant of a Rouse chain, driven by an active terminal monomer (head). The local active force induces a transition from a globule-like to an elongated state, as revealed by the study of the end-to-end distance, the variance of which is analytically predicted under suitable approximations. The change in the relaxation times of the Rouse-modes produced by the local self-propulsion is consistent with the transition from globule to elongated conformations. Moreover, also the bond–bond spatial correlation for the chain head are affected by the self-propulsion and a gradient of over-stretched bonds along the chain is observed. We compare our numerical results both with the phenomenological stiff-polymer theory and several analytical predictions in the Rouse-chain approximation.

Graphical abstract: How a local active force modifies the structural properties of polymers

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Nov 2019
Accepted
14 Feb 2020
First published
14 Feb 2020

Soft Matter, 2020,16, 2594-2604

How a local active force modifies the structural properties of polymers

L. Natali, L. Caprini and F. Cecconi, Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 2594 DOI: 10.1039/C9SM02258A

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