Force-Induced Elastic Softening and Conformational Transitions in a Polyampholyte Chain

The mechanical response of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and polyampholyte (PA) chains is vital for understanding their biological functions and designing functional materials. We investigate the force-extension behavior of a PA chain with distinct charge sequences using molecular dynamics simulations and a theoretical approach based on the generalized random-phase approximation (GRPA). A diblock PA chain under extensional force undergoes a continuous coil-to-stretch transition at wea