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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.23967 |
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Table of Contents:
- Entangled knots form spontaneously in flexible filaments, yet the influence of the surrounding environment on this process is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that free-moving particles act as kinetic catalysts for spontaneous knotting. Through controlled agitation experiments, we find that a small number of inert beads substantially enhance the probability and accelerate the rate of knot formation. This catalytic effect is non-monotonic: an optimal particle size and concentration that maximizes entanglement, while an excess of particles suppresses knotting by impeding the filament's dynamics. We develop a stochastic model that quantitatively reproduces this behavior, attributing it to a competition between entanglement-promoting collisions and motion-suppressing drag. Our findings reveal a mechanism for tuning topological complexity, whereby adjusting these environmental agitators can either promote rapid self-assembly or inhibit unwanted entanglement. This work suggests new strategies for controlling filament topology in settings ranging from crowded biological environments to advanced materials processing.