Linear active polymers in porous media: The type of activity matters

Abstract

Active polymers represent a distinct class of non-equilibrium systems whose structure and movement are strongly influenced by the nature of activity and environmental complexity. In this work, we present a comparative study of an Active Brownian Polymer Chain (ABPC) and a Tangentially Active Polymer Chain (TAPC) in a two-dimensional porous environment using Brownian dynamics simulations. Our study on two different types of active polymers reveals distinct differences in their conformational and dynamical properties. We identify fundamentally different trapping mechanisms in the two systems: ABPC exhibits extensive folding in the porous confinement, whereas TAPC adapts stable spiral conformations accounting for persistent self-trapping at moderate and high activity. Furthermore, ABPC undergoes unrestraint motion at high activity, while TAPC displays reptation-like motion at low activity, leading to efficient escape from the traps. Our findings suggest that the nature and strength of activity coupled with environment complexity lead to emergent phenomena that dictate these unique conformational and dynamical properties of active polymers.