Spontaneous self-wrapping in chiral active polymers

TL;DR

This paper investigates how chirality in active polymers causes spontaneous folding and unfolding transitions through a self-wrapping mechanism, with potential applications in robotics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spontaneous self-wrapping transition in chiral active polymers driven by chirality, distinct from passive polymer behavior.

Findings

Chiral active polymers undergo spontaneous folding-unfolding transitions.

The transition is driven by a self-wrapping mechanism without attractive interactions.

Experimental and simulation results confirm the unique role of chirality in polymer dynamics.

Abstract

Biological organisms often have elongated, flexible structures with some degree of chirality in their bodies or movements. In nature, these organisms frequently take advantage of self-encapsulation mechanisms that create folded configurations, changing their functionality, such as for defensive purposes. Here, we explore the role of chirality in polymeric structures composed of chiral active monomers exhibiting circular motion. Through a combination of experiments and numerical simulations, we demonstrate a spontaneous unfolding-folding transition uniquely induced by chirality, a phenomenon not observed in passive polymers. This transition is driven by a self-wrapping mechanism, resulting in dynamic polymer collapse even without attractive interactions. Our findings, based on chiral polymers made from chiral active granular particles, present new opportunities in robotic applications taking advantage of the interplay between chirality and deformability.