Progressive polymer deformation induced by polar activity and the influence of inertia

Abstract

Polar activity is shown here to induce a progressive local deformation of linear polymer chains, making a clear distinction between head and tail, while the overall chain conformation gets more compact. This breakdown of self-similarity, provoked by the accumulated tension on the polymer backbone induced by the activity, is shown to occur both in the absence and presence of inertia, although it is stronger in the latter case. Other properties like the relaxation time and diffusion are also largely influenced by the presence of a polar activity. Published by the American Physical Society 2024