Self-organized states of solutions of active ring polymers in bulk and under confinement

TL;DR

This study uses numerical simulations to explore how active ring polymers self-organize into dynamic states with clustering and segregation under different densities and confinement, revealing complex behaviors at the intersection of polymer, liquid crystal, and active matter physics.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed simulation analysis of active ring polymers, uncovering novel self-organized states caused by activity, topology, and confinement interactions.

Findings

Emergence of self-organized dynamical states with clusters and moving rings

Segregation driven by activity, topology, and confinement

Coexistence of rotating clusters and fast-moving rings

Abstract

In the presented work we study, by means of numerical simulations, the behaviour of a suspension of active ring polymers in the bulk and under lateral confinement. When changing the separation between the confining planes and the polymers' density, we detect the emergence of a self-organised dynamical state, characterised by the coexistence of slowly diffusing clusters of rotating disks and faster rings moving in between them. This system represents a peculiar case at the crossing point between polymer, liquid crystals and active matter physics, where the interplay between activity, topology and confinement leads to a spontaneous segregation of a one component solution.