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We systematically explore the self-assembly of semi-flexible polymers in deformable spherical confinement across a wide regime of chain stiffness, contour lengths and packing fractions by means of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Compliant, DNA-like filaments are found to undergo a continuous crossover from two distinct surface-ordered quadrupolar states, both characterized by tetrahedral patterns of topological defects, to either longitudinal or latitudinal bipolar structures with increasing polymer concentrations. These transitions, along with the intermediary arrangements that they involve, may be attributed to the combination of an orientational wetting phenomenon with subtle density- and contour-length-dependent variations in the elastic anisotropies of the corresponding liquid crystal phases. Conversely, the organization of rigid, microtubule-like polymers evidences a progressive breakdown of continuum elasticity theory as chain dimensions become comparable to the equilibrium radius of the encapsulating membrane. In this case, we observe a gradual shift from prolate, tactoid-like morphologies to oblate, erythrocyte-like structures with increasing contour lengths, which is shown to arise from the interplay between nematic ordering, polymer and membrane buckling. We further provide numerical evidence of a number of yet-unidentified, self-organized states in such confined systems of stiff achiral filaments, including spontaneous spiral smectic assemblies, faceted polyhedral and twisted bundle-like arrangements. Our results are quantified through the introduction of several order parameters and an unsupervised learning scheme for the localization of surface topological defects, and are in excellent agreement with field-theoretical predictions as well as classical elastic theories of thin rods and spherical shells.
Space-saving design is a requirement that is encountered in biological systems and the development of modern technological devices alike. Many living organisms dynamically pack their polymer chains, filaments or membranes inside of deformable vesicle
We present a generic framework for modelling three-dimensional deformable shells of active matter that captures the orientational dynamics of the active particles and hydrodynamic interactions on the shell and with the surrounding environment. We fin
Morphogenetic dynamics of tissue sheets require coordinated cell shape changes regulated by global patterning of mechanical forces. Inspired by such biological phenomena, we propose a minimal mechanochemical model based on the notion that cell shape
In this chapter we discuss how the results developed within the theory of fractals and Self-Organized Criticality (SOC) can be fruitfully exploited as ingredients of adaptive network models. In order to maintain the presentation self-contained, we fi
The motion of self-propelled particles is modeled as a persistent random walk. An analytical framework is developed that allows the derivation of exact expressions for the time evolution of arbitrary moments of the persistent walks displacement. It i