Systematic modification of functionality in disordered elastic networks through free energy surface tailoring

A combined machine learning–physics–based approach is explored for molecular and materials engineering. Specifically, collective variables, akin to those used in enhanced sampled simulations, are constructed using a machine learning model trained on data gathered from a single system. Through the constructed collective variables, it becomes possible to identify critical molecular interactions in the considered system, the modulation of which enables a systematic tailoring of the system’s free energy landscape. To explore the efficacy of the proposed approach, we use it to engineer allosteric regulation and uniaxial strain fluctuations in a complex disordered elastic network. Its successful application in these two cases provides insights regarding how functionality is governed in systems characterized by extensive connectivity and points to its potential for design of complex molecular systems.