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Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics in Biochemical Systems and Its Application
Dongliang Zhang1, Qi Ouyang1,2
1The State Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructures and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 6, 2021
Summary
This review explores nonequilibrium thermodynamics in living systems, highlighting its importance in biochemistry. It covers historical context, stochastic thermodynamics landmarks, and applications in biological research.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Chemical Thermodynamics
Background:
- Living systems function as open systems governed by nonequilibrium thermodynamics.
- Understanding biological processes requires a thermodynamic perspective, particularly far from equilibrium.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the history and current advancements in nonequilibrium thermodynamics applied to biological systems.
- To introduce key developments in stochastic thermodynamics and their relevance to biochemistry.
Main Methods:
- Historical overview of thermodynamic studies in biology.
- Introduction to stochastic thermodynamics, including Jarzynski equality, Crooks' fluctuation theorem, and the thermodynamic uncertainty relation.
- Summary of theoretical frameworks for stochastic thermodynamics in biochemical reaction networks.
Main Results:
- Established the historical significance of thermodynamics in understanding biological systems.
- Detailed the foundational principles and landmark discoveries in stochastic thermodynamics.
- Outlined the current theoretical landscape for nonequilibrium steady-state thermodynamics in biochemical contexts.
Conclusions:
- Non-equilibrium thermodynamics offers crucial insights into the functioning of living systems.
- Stochastic thermodynamics provides powerful tools for analyzing biochemical processes.
- Thermodynamic approaches are vital for future biological research paradigms.
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