Self-Assembly of Semiflexible Polymers within Dynamic Droplet Confinement

Semiflexible polymers play a central role in both biological and technological systems, exhibiting structural and dynamic behaviors that arise from their intermediate stiffness. Their response to confinement is particularly significant, as spatial restriction can induce orientational order, structural transitions, and complex morphologies. While previous studies have extensively explored semiflexible polymers within rigid confinements, far less attention has been given to assemblies under deformable and dynamically changing confinements, such as those found in evaporating aerosol droplets or living cells. In this work, we employ dissipative particle dynamics simulations to study the self-assembly of semiflexible polymers confined within deformable droplets that may also vary in size. We systematically examine the effects of polymer length, concentration, and degree of confinement on the resulting structures and identify distinct regimes ranging from disordered configurations to highly ordered and bundled arrangements. The results reveal how confinement and polymer parameters jointly dictate structural organization, providing new insights into the assembly of semiflexible polymers within dynamic crowded environments.