IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-60210-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Giant activity-induced elasticity in entangled polymer solutions

Author

Listed:
  • Davide Breoni

    (Heinrich Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
    INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications
    Università di Trento)

  • Christina Kurzthaler

    (Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
    Center for Systems Biology Dresden
    Physics of Life, TU Dresden)

  • Benno Liebchen

    (Technische Universität Darmstadt)

  • Hartmut Löwen

    (Heinrich Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

  • Suvendu Mandal

    (Heinrich Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
    Technische Universität Darmstadt)

Abstract

One of the key achievements of equilibrium polymer physics is the prediction of scaling laws governing the viscoelastic properties of entangled polymer systems, validated in both natural polymers, such as DNA, and synthetic polymers, including polyethylene, which form materials like plastics. Recently, focus has shifted to active polymers systems composed of motile units driven far from equilibrium, such as California blackworms, self-propelled biopolymers, and soft robotic grippers. Despite their growing importance, we do not yet understand their viscoelastic properties and universal scaling laws. Here, we use Brownian dynamics simulations to investigate the viscoelastic properties of highly-entangled, flexible self-propelled polymers. Our results demonstrate that activity enhances the elasticity by orders of magnitude due to the emergence of grip forces at entanglement points, leading to its scaling with polymer length ∼ L. Furthermore, activity fluidizes the suspension, with the long-time viscosity scaling as ∼ L2, compared to ∼ L3 in passive systems. These insights open new avenues for designing activity-responsive polymeric materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Davide Breoni & Christina Kurzthaler & Benno Liebchen & Hartmut Löwen & Suvendu Mandal, 2025. "Giant activity-induced elasticity in entangled polymer solutions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60210-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60210-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60210-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-60210-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philipp Lang & Erwin Frey, 2018. "Disentangling entanglements in biopolymer solutions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Christina Kurzthaler & Suvendu Mandal & Tapomoy Bhattacharjee & Hartmut Löwen & Sujit S. Datta & Howard A. Stone, 2021. "A geometric criterion for the optimal spreading of active polymers in porous media," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Marion Jasnin & Jordan Hervy & Stéphanie Balor & Anaïs Bouissou & Amsha Proag & Raphaël Voituriez & Jonathan Schneider & Thomas Mangeat & Isabelle Maridonneau-Parini & Wolfgang Baumeister & Serge Dmit, 2022. "Elasticity of podosome actin networks produces nanonewton protrusive forces," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Ewa Sitarska & Silvia Dias Almeida & Marianne Sandvold Beckwith & Julian Stopp & Jakub Czuchnowski & Marc Siggel & Rita Roessner & Aline Tschanz & Christer Ejsing & Yannick Schwab & Jan Kosinski & Mic, 2023. "Sensing their plasma membrane curvature allows migrating cells to circumvent obstacles," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Trevor J. Jones & Etienne Jambon-Puillet & Joel Marthelot & P.-T. Brun, 2021. "Bubble casting soft robotics," Nature, Nature, vol. 599(7884), pages 229-233, November.
    6. Tim Sanchez & Daniel T. N. Chen & Stephen J. DeCamp & Michael Heymann & Zvonimir Dogic, 2012. "Spontaneous motion in hierarchically assembled active matter," Nature, Nature, vol. 491(7424), pages 431-434, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giuseppe Negro & Louise C. Head & Livio N. Carenza & Tyler N. Shendruk & Davide Marenduzzo & Giuseppe Gonnella & Adriano Tiribocchi, 2025. "Topology controls flow patterns in active double emulsions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Dongliang Fan & Xi Yuan & Wenyu Wu & Renjie Zhu & Xin Yang & Yuxuan Liao & Yunteng Ma & Chufan Xiao & Cheng Chen & Changyue Liu & Hongqiang Wang & Peiwu Qin, 2022. "Self-shrinking soft demoulding for complex high-aspect-ratio microchannels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Nishkantha Arulkumaran & Mervyn Singer & Stefan Howorka & Jonathan R. Burns, 2023. "Creating complex protocells and prototissues using simple DNA building blocks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Chenglin Wang & Weiyu Pan & Tianlong Zou & Chunjiang Li & Qiyu Han & Haoming Wang & Jing Yang & Xiangjun Zou, 2024. "A Review of Perception Technologies for Berry Fruit-Picking Robots: Advantages, Disadvantages, Challenges, and Prospects," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-42, August.
    5. Christina Kurzthaler & Suvendu Mandal & Tapomoy Bhattacharjee & Hartmut Löwen & Sujit S. Datta & Howard A. Stone, 2021. "A geometric criterion for the optimal spreading of active polymers in porous media," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Maximilian Kurjahn & Leila Abbaspour & Franziska Papenfuß & Philip Bittihn & Ramin Golestanian & Benoît Mahault & Stefan Karpitschka, 2024. "Collective self-caging of active filaments in virtual confinement," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Liang Yue & S. Macrae Montgomery & Xiaohao Sun & Luxia Yu & Yuyang Song & Tsuyoshi Nomura & Masato Tanaka & H. Jerry Qi, 2023. "Single-vat single-cure grayscale digital light processing 3D printing of materials with large property difference and high stretchability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    8. Alejandro Martínez-Calvo & Matthew D. Biviano & Anneline H. Christensen & Eleni Katifori & Kaare H. Jensen & Miguel Ruiz-García, 2024. "The fluidic memristor as a collective phenomenon in elastohydrodynamic networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Wei Ming Lim & Wei-Xiang Chew & Arianna Esposito Verza & Marion Pesenti & Andrea Musacchio & Thomas Surrey, 2024. "Regulation of minimal spindle midzone organization by mitotic kinases," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Bibi Najma & Minu Varghese & Lev Tsidilkovski & Linnea Lemma & Aparna Baskaran & Guillaume Duclos, 2022. "Competing instabilities reveal how to rationally design and control active crosslinked gels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Salgado-García, R., 2022. "Active particles in reactive disordered media: How does adsorption affect diffusion?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 603(C).
    12. Yande Cui & Jianhua Hu & Ziyang Dong & Bing Li & Chunyu Chang, 2025. "Temperature-triggered inflatable hydrogel muscles with snap-through instability for untethered robots," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9, December.
    13. Chung Wing Chan & Daihui Wu & Kaiyao Qiao & Kin Long Fong & Zhiyu Yang & Yilong Han & Rui Zhang, 2024. "Chiral active particles are sensitive reporters to environmental geometry," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Tom Brandstätter & David B. Brückner & Yu Long Han & Ricard Alert & Ming Guo & Chase P. Broedersz, 2023. "Curvature induces active velocity waves in rotating spherical tissues," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    15. Mallikarjun, Rahul & Pal, Arnab, 2023. "Chiral run-and-tumble walker: Transport and optimizing search," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 622(C).
    16. Wenfei Ai & Kai Hou & Jiaxin Wu & Yue Long & Kai Song, 2024. "Miniaturized and untethered McKibben muscles based on photothermal-induced gas-liquid transformation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    17. Zihui Zhao & He Li & Yisong Yao & Yongfeng Zhao & Francesca Serra & Kyogo Kawaguchi & Hepeng Zhang & Masaki Sano, 2025. "Integer topological defects offer a methodology to quantify and classify active cell monolayers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    18. Antonio Lamura & Adriano Tiribocchi, 2021. "Shearing Effects on the Phase Coarsening of Binary Mixtures Using the Active Model B," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(23), pages 1-13, November.
    19. Jiang Yan & Ying Zhang & Zongguang Liu & Junzhuan Wang & Jun Xu & Linwei Yu, 2023. "Ultracompact single-nanowire-morphed grippers driven by vectorial Lorentz forces for dexterous robotic manipulations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    20. Bo Zhang & Andreas Glatz & Igor S. Aranson & Alexey Snezhko, 2023. "Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-60210-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.