Topological Tuning of Polymer and DNA Dynamics

Understanding the dynamics of dense solutions of polymers with non-trivial topologies remains an outstanding challenge in polymer physics. In this talk, I will discuss how subtle architecture-specific topological interactions called “threadings” can be identified using persistence homology [1] and present numerical evidence of how they can drive the onset of a "topological glass" in systems of ring polymers [2,3]. Then, I will discuss how the same principles can be applied to higher-order "chimeric" polymers that display fused linear and ring topologies, such as tadpole-shaped polymers [4]. I will finally show numerical and experimental evidence of how the rheology of the bulk can be finely tuned by smart design of chimeric architectures via DNA origami and by dynamic altering of DNA topology. This work represents a signifcant advancement of our understanding of the fascinating relationship between polymer topology and bulk rheology.

[1] Landuzzi et al, Phys. Rev. Research 2 (2020)
[2] Michieletto&Turner, PNAS 113 (2016)
[3] Michieletto et al, PRL 119 (2017)
[4] Rosa et al ACS Macro Lett 9 (2020)