Directional motion of forced polymer chains with hydrodynamic interaction

TL;DR

This paper investigates how hydrodynamic interactions influence the directional propulsion of a forced 1D polymer chain in low Reynolds number conditions, revealing phase-dependent motion and frequency-dependent velocity maxima.

Contribution

It introduces a model showing that hydrodynamic interactions induce directional motion in a forced polymer chain, highlighting the role of phase differences and frequency effects.

Findings

Hydrodynamic interactions cause directional motion in the polymer.

Velocity peaks at a specific frequency.

Motion depends on phase differences along the chain.

Abstract

We study the propulsion of a one-dimensional (1D) polymer chain under sinusoidal external forces in the overdamped (low Reynolds number) regime. We show that, when hydrodynamical interactions are included, the polymer presents directional motion which depends on the phase differences of the external force applied along the chain. Moreover, the velocity shows a maximum as a function of the frequency. We discuss the relevance of all these results in light of recent nanotechnology experiments.