Flow-induced helical coiling of semiflexible polymers in structured microchannels

The conformations of semiflexible (bio)polymers are studied in flow-through geometrically structured microchannels. Using mesoscale hydrodynamics simulations, we show that the polymer undergoes a rod-to-helix transition as it moves from the narrow high-velocity region into the wide low-velocity region of the channel. The transient helix formation is the result of a nonequilibrium and nonstationary buckling transition of the semiflexible polymer, which is subjected to a compressive force originating from the fluid-velocity variation in the channel. The helix properties depend on the diameter ratio of the channel, the polymer bending rigidity, and the flow strength.