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Ejection dynamics of spherically confined active polymers through a small pore.
Chuqiao Li1, Zehong Chen2, Danfeng Liu1
1Xinjiang Laboratory of Phase Transitions and Microstructures in Condensed Matter Physics, College of Physical Science and Technology, Yili Normal University, Yining 835000, China.
Soft Matter
|June 13, 2023
Summary
Active polymers ejected through pores exhibit distinct stages driven by entropy and active forces. The active force accelerates ejection, with trailing particle velocity being key to understanding this non-equilibrium process.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
- Computational Biophysics
Background:
- Active polymers possess internal driving forces beyond thermal fluctuations.
- Confined polymers undergoing ejection present complex dynamics influenced by geometry and forces.
- Understanding non-equilibrium processes is crucial for biological and synthetic systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ejection dynamics of spherically confined active polymers through a small pore.
- To elucidate the interplay between active forces and entropy-driven ejection.
- To identify key factors governing the ejection mechanism at different stages.
Main Methods:
- Brownian dynamics simulations were employed to model the system.
- Analysis focused on ejection time, scaling relationships with chain length, and ejection velocity.
- The influence of active force and Péclet number on dynamics was quantified.
Main Results:
- The ejection process is characterized by three distinct stages.
- In early stages, entropy dominates; later stages show acceleration by active forces.
- Ejection time scales with chain length (exponent < 1.0) and is inversely proportional to Péclet number at later stages.
- Trailing particle ejection velocity varies significantly across stages and is a critical factor.
Conclusions:
- Active polymer ejection is a multi-stage non-equilibrium process.
- Active forces can accelerate ejection, particularly in later stages.
- The findings enhance predictions for relevant physiological phenomena involving polymer transport.
