2024/08/20 by Chen Shen, Chaoran Qin, Shen, Chen +7
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Materials and Mechanics #FOS: Physical sciences #Micro and Nano Robotics #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2408.10677
openalex publication_date 2024/08/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Structure and dynamics of an active polymer on a smooth cylindrical surface are studied by Brownian dynamics simulations. The effect of active force on the polymer adsorption behavior and the combined effect of chain mobility, length N, rigidity \kappa, and cylinder radius, R, on phase diagrams are systemically investigated. We find that complete adsorption is replaced by irregular alternative adsorption/desorption process at a large driving force. Three typical (spiral, helix-like, rod-like) conformations of the active polymer are observed, dependent on N, \kappa, and R. Dynamically, the polymer shows rotational motion in spiral state, snake-like motion in the intermediate state, and straight translational motion without turning back in the rod-like state. In the spiral state, we find that rotation velocity ω and chain length follows a power-law relation ω~N^(-0.42), consistent with the torque-balance theory of general Archimedean spirals. And the polymer shows super-diffusive behavior along the cylinder at long time in the helix-like and rod-like states. Our results highlight the mobility, rigidity, as well as curvature of surface can be used to regulate the polymer behavior.