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Membrane Transport Processes Analyzed by a Highly Parallel Nanopore Chip System at Single Protein Resolution
Published on: August 16, 2016
Translocation of stiff polymers through a nanopore driven by binding particles
Wancheng Yu1, Yiding Ma, Kaifu Luo
1CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui Province 230026, People's Republic of China.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|January 3, 2013
Summary
Polymer translocation through nanopores is optimized by particle binding, which affects translocation time and velocity. Binding energy and particle concentration influence translocation dynamics, transitioning from broad to Gaussian distributions.
Area of Science:
- Polymer physics
- Nanotechnology
- Computational biophysics
Background:
- Polymer translocation through nanopores is crucial for applications like DNA sequencing.
- Understanding the factors influencing translocation dynamics is essential for controlling the process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of binding particles on the translocation of stiff polymers through a nanopore.
- To determine how binding energy and particle concentration impact translocation time and velocity.
Main Methods:
- Two-dimensional Langevin dynamics simulations were employed.
- The study systematically varied binding energy (ε) and particle concentration (φ).
Main Results:
- Mean translocation time exhibits a minimum with respect to binding energy and particle concentration.
- Strong binding leads to decreased translocation velocity due to increased frictional forces.
- Translocation time distribution transitions from asymmetric and broad to nearly Gaussian with increasing binding energy and concentration.
Conclusions:
- Binding particles can be used to control and optimize polymer translocation through nanopores.
- The interplay between binding forces and frictional forces governs translocation dynamics.
- Binding energy and particle concentration are key parameters for tuning translocation behavior and its statistical distribution.
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