AI Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how the location of active segments in isolated polymers affects their behavior and properties in non-equilibrium conditions.
- Changing the position of these active segments can transition the polymer's diffusion from an active-like state to a passive-like one.
- Additionally, slight adjustments to how these active segments propel themselves can improve diffusion rates, which could have implications for understanding active biological systems like bacteria and worms.
Article Abstract
We perform numerical simulations of isolated, partially active polymers, driven out-of-equilibrium by a fraction of their monomers. We show that, if the active beads are all gathered in a contiguous block, the position of the section along the chain determines the conformational and dynamical properties of the system. Notably, one can modulate the diffusion coefficient of the polymer from active-like to passive-like just by changing the position of the active block. Further, we show that a slight modification of the self-propulsion rule may give rise to an enhancement of diffusion under certain conditions, despite a decrease of the overall polymer activity. Our findings may help in the modelisation of active biophysical systems, such as filamentous bacteria or worms.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d3sm01162c | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!