Percolating Network of Polymer Condensates Driven by Active Particles

Active processes in cells generate nonequilibrium fluctuations that reshape biomolecular condensates, altering their phase behavior and internal organization. Using simulations of passive sticker–spacer polymers immersed in active particles, we show that activity drives condensates from compact droplets into extended, percolating networks. Increasing activity or concentration of active particles enhances interchain connectivity and produces a persistent polymer backbone with transient nonbonded contacts. Active particles preferentially localize near flexible intrachain regions rather than at branched junctions, indicating that activity couples most strongly to softer condensate areas. Contact dynamics reveal a gel-like state: although the total number of contacts remains nearly constant, most are short-lived while a subset of interchain links persists over time. Thus, active fluctuations continuously renew polymer contacts while preserving long-range connectivity. These results provide a physical framework for how energy-consuming processes in cells can dynamically remodel condensate morphology and sustain percolated, adaptive network structures.