Polymer translocation: effects of periodically driven confinement.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Physics
• Soft Matter Physics
• Computational Biophysics

Background:

• Polymer translocation is crucial in biological processes and nanotechnology.
• Confinement and pore geometry significantly influence translocation dynamics.
• Understanding these dynamics is key for applications like drug delivery and DNA sequencing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of confinement and pore geometry on polymer translocation dynamics.
• To explore the effects of a dynamic confining environment on translocation.
• To identify optimal conditions for efficient polymer translocation.

Main Methods:

• Langevin dynamics simulations were employed to model polymer translocation.
• Translocation and first attempt times were calculated as a function of pore geometry and confinement.
• The dynamics of a periodically driven back wall and apex angles were simulated.

Main Results:

• Translocation time is dependent on the back wall position and apex angle of the cone pore.
• A minimum translocation time was observed at a specific driving frequency, termed resonance activation.
• Monomer residence time analysis provided insights into the microscopic translocation mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Confinement and dynamic boundary conditions significantly alter polymer translocation.
• Resonance activation offers a method to optimize translocation efficiency.
• The study provides a microscopic understanding of polymer dynamics during translocation through a nanopore.